Quotes of the Morning: A Win Win Situation

“U.S. officials tell ABC News that the troop levels in Iraq cannot be maintained at the present level, either politically or practically, with the military stretched so thin.
But that does not imply an immediate drawdown. Officials tell ABC's Martha Raddatz the senior commanders in Iraq -- Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno and Gen. David Petraeus -- want the surge to continue until at least December, and expect to report enough progress by September to justify the extension.”
-ABC News, June 1, 2007

“There is going to be progress by September! The surge is working! Even three or four months before the report General Petraeus can already tell that this is going to be a success.”
-Skippy

“Violence increased throughout much of Iraq in recent months, despite a security crackdown in Baghdad that at least temporarily reduced sectarian killings there, according to a quarterly assessment of security conditions issued Wednesday by the Pentagon.
The report, which analyzed data from February through early May, said it was too early to say whether the security effort in Baghdad would achieve lasting security gains. And it described in more detail than officials had until now how security conditions in other parts of the country had worsened when American and Iraqi forces shifted in large numbers into the capital.
[…]
Although precise data are not included in the report, attacks on civilians and Iraqi and American troops increased by 2 percent from the previous quarter, the report said. The average number of attacks has exceeded 1,000 per week since the beginning of this year through early May, the highest level since the American invasion in 2003, it said.
Even the decrease in violence in Baghdad may be temporary, the report noted. Gen. David H. Petraeus and other American commanders have recently confirmed that the number of sectarian killings in Baghdad, while still below levels seen last year, has begun climbing again.”
-New York Times, June 14, 2007

“Um.. Violence is on the upswing again in Baghdad despite the new troops and has never really reduced overall in Iraq. How can that be a success?”
-Skippy

“Q Let me follow on that, because I think some American officials have called this an act of desperation. And I’m wondering how this is seen as an act of desperation. Does that mean that the terrorists are so concerned that they’re sort of being shut down, and that the surge is so effective that they’re now desperate to make a statement?
MR. SNOW: Well, I think, again — a couple of things. It does fit a pattern that we see throughout the region, which is that when you see things moving towards success, or when you see signs of success, that there are acts of violence. We saw that, certainly — we’ve seen that in Lebanon, once again, today, tragically. We also saw it earlier in Lebanon. We have seen it on a number of occasions where, when Israel and the Palestinians seem to be getting close to a deal, there are kidnapings and acts of violence.”
-Press Gaggle with White House Spokesman Tony Snow, June 13, 2007

“Ah. Now I understand. If violence goes down, that means that we are winning and the surge is successful. If violence goes up, that means that the insurgents are desperate, and so the surge is successful. Hey, this is easy. Now I see how General Petraeus can be so sure of what his report will be!
And now onto happier news.. ComFest is now at T minus one week. It begins next Friday. Break out your tie-dye. Find your bongo drums. The holiday season is rapidly approaching. You have been warned.”
-Skippy