The Unsurge

In a speech tonight Bush is expected to endorse the Bush/Cheney Petraeus Plan to withdraw the 30,000 troops sent to Iraq as part of the surge earlier this year. The draw down will be complete next summer. Let's ask a couple of questions here.

First, why did we surge? There are numerous answers here but it was a response to the failing tactics of 2003 to 2006.

Second, what was the surge supposed to accomplish? It was sold as a method to quell violence in Baghdad and the Sunni Triangle. The diminished violence was to allow the Iraqi government enough time come to a governing concensus.

Third, lets assume that the surge worked as Petraeus and Bush has told us. Why stop the surge? We shouldn't. Right? Well, we don't have a choice. There are not enough troops to maintain the current deployment levels. We have to bring them home.

But that's not what we're being told. We're being told that it worked so we can stop surging. That just doesn't make sense. If the extra troops are needed to quell the violence* then it doesn't make sense to revert back to a lower number that couldn't do the job.

The quelling of violence claim is bunk!
Iraqi Civilian Casualties
U.S. Casualties