Mission Accomplished. How's that going?

Brian, Edinburgh, Scotland

I expect the General to tell the truth when "his job is on the line". Isn't it a bit cynical to think he'd lie to Congress for short term gains and job safety? Not very likely, and not a very rational arguement if you ask me. His testimony to Congress wasn't exactly secret and coordinating an attack in Iraq to undermine the General's testimony sounds like Foreign Policy 101. I think what's more important is how unusual such an attack has become over the past year. The draft threat has been employed several times since the start of the war and has never proven out; just like the "Civil War" and "Chaos" threats that never seem to pan out as anti-war zealots claim it will. In fact, those who've oppposed this war based almost soley on their hatred of GWB has consistently move the goal posts and changed their rational for irresponsible withdrawl from on an as needed basis. No WMD, then it was no France, Germany, or Russia, then it was Civil War, and now it's political progress. Stay

Kevin, Boston, Ma

"Vietnam saw the deaths of 58,000 Americans in 10 years. Iraq, at 4,000 after 5 years, is nowhere near Vietnam."
In Vietnam, the ration dead/wounded was 1/4. In Irak, it is 1/10. It means that there is now more poor guys living with bad wounds received while serving in Irak. Like said Socrates in Lakhes, sometimes, it's better to be dead.

Corriveau, Montreal, QUEBEC

The Arab world is a different place as the Brits found out after the war. You may think you have it worked out but as soon as the occupation ends the different clans will still have to decide which group has the power to control. Telling people what type of government they must have will never work. Arming every faction as the U.S. is doing now just means a more protracted conflict in the future.

jim, prembroke, usa

"The reality is that, once the posturing is done and the election is over, whoever wins is going to have to sit down with General Petraeus or his successor – without the television cameras - and figure out a pragmatic resolution to this messy and prolonged American engagement."

Well, I'm sure glad you cleared that up for us. Would you care to tell us what the "pragmatic solution" is? Otherwise, your column has an element of unreality to it as well.

Paul , Kansas City, USA

The bottom line is that this may have been the
wrong war at the wrong time for the wrong reason
and in that regard democrats may have the sympathies
of the majority of the electorate , but we are stuck
in a situation that we simply cannot abandon so whether
it is McCain Clinton or Obama, the facts don't change
and whether you advocate leaving or staying....
the solution will lie in the judgment of the military
so that getting out precipitously is not realistic
and staying for 100 years is not in the interest
of american foreign policy..ie the issue is moot

mike edelman, hartsdale , ny

What do you expect a general to say when his job is on the line? Every member of the armed forces that have stood up to the Bush administration has been forced into retirement. I think it is quite ironic that during the hearings in Congress, the Green Zone in Iraq was under constant attack, reinforcing the fallacy of "the surge". No amount of firepower can quell a population in absolute chaos. The real tragedy in this whole TV sitcom is that the next President, no matter who it is, will have to draw down the troops in a slow and orderly fashion. A rapid withdraw is physically impossible, given the amount of troops and equipment in Iraq. Increasing the amount of troops, as McCain once favored, would only happen with an open draft. Which is also impossible. America's best hope is a lowering of troop levels to an advisory force of a few thousand in about 4-5 years, which hinges on Iraq remaining "reasonably" stable. Not likely. America now has its own N. Ireland, only 100 times larger!

Charles, Seattle, USA

There is a solution this problem if we stop thinking as ideologues. Only Iraqis can solve Iraq's problems. I am a Ugandan who saw what we had to go through after Idi Amin. Look at the Balkans and what they had to go through. The best bad choice is what the next president will have to make. He will also have to change the mindset that cannot imagine an Iraq without US soldiers. When Obama tried to ask if we would be happy with an Iraq that was muddling along, without US soldiers, they didn't even understand what he was asking. Time to change the regime - IN WASHINGTON.

John Kwamya, Fishkill, US

A military general first and foremost does not like the fact that his men and women´s lives are in danger on a daily basis. The general stated the case as it was given to him by the women and men on the ground. The rest is up to the politicians to decide. From the comments by McCain it is clear that the U.S. will stay and see the job finished, while the two Democrats . Obama and Clinton want to pull the troops out now. All I can say is that a few million people perished after the Democrats cut off the funding for the Vietnam war which they never understood was about stopping Russia.

Gene, Gebüg, Germany

We freed the Shia in Iraq. Now we don't want the Shia to become friends with their Shia neighbors (Iran). Yet we knew the Sunni and Shia Muslims have feuded for 1400 years, so what did we expect? How well did the southern U.S. slave owners and former slaves get along after the U.S. Civil War ending in 1865?

Pete Swinford, Lafayette, Indiana, USA

richard drysdale,

Petraeus went out of his way to say there were no lights at the end of this tunnel.

Vietnam saw the deaths of 58,000 Americans in 10 years. Iraq, at 4,000 after 5 years, is nowhere near Vietnam.

Robert Dubai:

AQI is only one piece of the puzzle. They seemed to think Iraq was important, or they wouldn't have rushed operatives down there during Afghanistan before we even invaded Iraq. AQ has even said as much.

ken r.:

The fall of the Roman Empire was very gradual; it cannot really be contextualized as a single event.

I try to respect the opinions of people who oppose the war, but lets try to be a little less casual in our reasoning. I know it's popular right now to be dismissive, but it is always good to be clear-headed.

Peter, Valdosta, USA

The Democrats, as usual, were completely uninformed, reciting the same warmed over talking points from 2004.

I weep for my country that the voters put these corrupt, incompetent, clown Democrats into office.

Look at Clinton and Obama - these two neophytes don't even belong in the Senate, much less the Oval Office. No real job experience, no real legislative experience, both corrupt to the very core of their existence and both closely associated with virulently anti-American lunatics on the far left.

I have no interest in what Democrats have to say about any subject, least of all on this war. They have undermined the mission from day one, for pure, cynical, greedy political gain, just like they did in Vietnam.

Brian Schafer, Arlington, USA/Virginia

The danger is that although arming and paying the salaries of selected sectarian militias may buy a short term reduction in violence but it lays the seeds for a massive civil war and increased violence in the future. However the bottom line is there is no good option any more they are all bad options.

tari, London,

Pity Petraeus isn't running for president - maybe next time.

tony, paris,

How often have we each seen drivers who first dare to move forward only to stop in mid stride (drive) and try to reverse. The war in Iraq is unquestionable the greatest failure of any government since the fall of the Roman Empire (yes I know that that temporal span will include many many moore absurde government actions!). Tragically, the removal of the foreign military now has the inherient potential of becoming an even greater failure.

ken r, Wuhan, China

I saw the whole thing last night and it was disappointing that a victory, however you define it, still remains elusive. After Obama pressed the general on what constitutes a success there, you couldn't miss the unstated irony that the mission in Iraq can be only perceived as successful once Al-Qaeda in Iraq is reduced to pre-invasion level. I don't enjoy the irony in that.

Robert B., Dubai, UAE

Petraeus reminded me of Westmoreland giving Congress a similar briefing on the Vietnam War...."The light is at the end of the tunnel" etc etc.

richard drysdale, york, uk

All the more reason that heads should roll over the the decision to get the U.S. into IRAQ. WMD...a complete lie! As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

So will this accountability happen ..unlikely. All the more reason for voters in the US (and UK) to turn out incumbents.
Really!

Jack S., Tuson, Arizona / USA

Petraeus sings the tune that his Boss wants him to sing! If he wanted to speak out agaiinst the war, he would have to resign: It's either Bush's way ...or the highway! Only the naive would believe any different.

Was it Churchill who said that "The first casualty in war is Truth"?

Garth Strong, San Diego, USA