Headline writers at several major newspapers have chosen to highlight Gen. David Petraeus’s proposal to reduce the number of troops in Iraq by 30,000, essentially returning the presence there to pre-surge levels.
- “Petraeus Backs Partial Pullout,” proclaims the print edition of today’s Washington Post.
- “Petraeus Eyes Troop Reductions,” blares the Washington Times.
- USA Today’s lead story appeared under the slightly more qualified headline “General Plans Cut in Troops as Tension Rises over Timing.”
But these headlines obscure the true story behind Petraeus’ and Amb. Ryan Crocker’s testimony yesterday and today. Greg Jaffe and Neil King, Jr., at the Wall Street Journal do a better job of fixing on the essential unanswered question: How quickly will the pullout proceed beyond July?
Members of Congress have tried to get at this issue, but Petraeus and Crocker have — so far — deftly parried these questions. Not knowing the answer, we are forced to rely on a speculative but, I think, ultimately accurate assessment by Karen DeYoung and Tom Ricks on the front page of the Post:
“If Gen. David H. Petraeus has his way, tens of thousands of U.S troops will be in Iraq for years to come.”
Will he get his way? It will be up to the next president to decide. George Bush has already made up his mind: for as long as he is in the Oval Office, we’re staying.
