Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno told reporters after a Senate hearing Thursday that he would need beyond September to tell if improvements in Iraq represent long-term trends.
''In order to do a good assessment I need at least until November,'' said Odierno, a deputy to Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. military commander in Iraq.
In the American system, the final call is made by civilian leadership. Civilian leadership consists of the White House and Congress. But most decisions about Iraq are being made by the White House and the military with the White House assuring us that they're letting General Petraeus be the "decider." Founders are revolving in the graves.
Paul Krugman suggests that Petraeus has become less a decider than an enabler.
The general’s history suggests that he’s another smart, sensible enabler.
I don’t know why the op-ed article that General Petraeus published in The Washington Post on Sept. 26, 2004, hasn’t gotten more attention. After all, it puts to rest any notion that the general stands above politics: I don’t think it’s standard practice for serving military officers to publish opinion pieces that are strikingly helpful to an incumbent, six weeks before a national election.
Of course, Congress's and the White House's boss could change this lousy situation. But will we?
