Petraeus Preview

Last Friday, Gen. Petraeus published a letter to all Multi-National Forces Iraq (MNFI) that provides a preview of the congressional testimony he’ll give later this week. Overall, it seems to be what’s been expected: a very measured and honest assessment that touts security successes but recognizes shortcomings. Regarding security he states the following:

Up front, my sense is that we have achieved tactical momentum and wrested the initiative from our enemies in a number of areas of Iraq. The result has been progress in the security arena, although it has, as you know, been uneven. Additionally, as you all appreciate very well, innumerable tasks remain and much hard work lies ahead. We are, in short, a long way from the goal line, but we do have the ball and we are driving down the field.

Like many others, however, Petraeus seems less confident in the Iraqi government:

Many of us had hoped this summer would be a time of tangible political progress at the national level as well. One of the justifications for the surge, after all, was that it would help create the space for Iraqi leaders to tackle the tough questions and agree on key pieces of "national reconciliation" legislation. It has not worked out as we had hoped. All participants, Iraqi and coalition alike, are dissatisfied by the halting progress on major legislative initiatives such as the oil framework law, revenue sharing, and de-ba'athification reform. At the same time, however, our appreciation of what this legislation represents for Iraqi leaders has grown. These laws are truly fundamental in nature and will help determine how Iraqis will share power and resources in the new Iraq. While much work remains to be done before these critical issues are resolved, the seriousness with which Iraqi leaders came together at their summit in late August has given hope that they are up to the task before them, even if it is clearly taking more time than we initially expected.

Interesting stuff. Hearings begin in about an hour on C-SPAN, I believe, and will be rebroadcast tonight.

Stay tuned . . .