The Endless Loop

So General Petraeus claims that there may be a reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq this year:

WASHINGTON - Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday that a decision on Iraq troop levels is likely by September, and that he is likely to recommend a further reduction after a 45-day pause in withdrawals that begins in mid-July. [...]

"My sense is that I will be able to make a recommendation at that time for some further reductions," Petraeus told a Senate panel considering his nomination to lead Central Command, responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East. "I don't want to imply that that means" a particular brigade or major combat formation, he said.

So, why should Congress or the American people believe him, since he made a similar claim last year, and since we currently have more troops in Iraq today than we did back then?

August 15, 2007:

BAGHDAD — The top American commander in Iraq said Wednesday he was preparing recommendations on troop reductions before he returns to Washington next month for a report to Congress and understood that the U.S. footprint in Iraq would have to be "a good bit smaller" by next summer.

"We know that the surge has to come to an end, there's no question about that. I think everyone understands that by about a year or so from now we've got to be a good bit smaller than we are right now."

And no one at today's confirmation hearing asked about what General Petraeus would say to John McCain about this promise of troop reductions.  McCain, after all, is not only adamantly opposed to any troop reduction, he even admitted on his website that he wants to increase our troops presence in Iraq:

Bolster Troops on the Ground

A greater military commitment now is necessary if we are to achieve long-term success in Iraq. John McCain agrees with retired Army General Jack Keane that there are simply not enough American forces in Iraq. More troops are necessary to clear and hold insurgent strongholds; to provide security for rebuilding local institutions and economies; to halt sectarian violence in Baghdad and disarm Sunni and Shia militias; to dismantle al Qaeda; to train the Iraqi Army; and to embed American personnel in Iraqi police units. Accomplishing each of these goals will require more troops and is a crucial prerequisite for needed economic and political development in the country. America's ultimate strategy is to give Iraqis the capabilities to govern and secure their own country.

McCain launched a new websitethis week, aimed at general election voters.  He's deleted the above paragraph now.

But now matter how hard he tries to scrub away his wildly unpopular and reckless position, the stale policy and empty promises of progress remain.  No matter what General Petraeus says today to make the McCain-Bush Iraq policy more palatable to the American people, no matter what temporary and cosmetic "drawdown" is promised to make them forget about this mess, they have long ago rejected the President's hamster-wheel foreign policy.  And when the myth of McCain the Moderate is shattered and his reckless policies for Iraq are exposed, Americans should readily reject John McCain as well.