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GUEST: Norman Solomon, author of Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters with America’s Warfare State

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus with Ambassador Crocker told Congress yesterday that the deployment of 30,000 more troops to Iraq has made enough progress that the additional combat forces can be pulled out by next summer. Petraeus, however, cautioned against “rushing to failure” with a larger and speedier withdrawal. With no mention of the impact of the war on Iraqi civilians, Petraeus emphasized that the situation in Iraq was improving and outlined his plan for cautious removal. Petraeus’ announced plan would rotate 2,200 Marines out of Anbar province in western Iraq this month without replacing them, and then begin pulling out 17,500 Army troops and 2,000 more Marines starting in mid-December. If logistics personnel and other supporting troops are also withdrawn, that would return force levels to the “pre-surge” number of 130,000 by mid-July. In response to General Petraeus, the group September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, which is comprised of families of the victims of the 9-11 attacks, has released a statement regarding the timing of the testimony of Gen. David Petraeus. It reads in part:”The timing of this testimony is another attempt by government officials to force a non-existent connection between the events of 9-11 and this administration’s disastrous policy of invasion and war in Iraq. The 9-11 Commission found there was no operational or cooperative relationship between Al Qaida and Iraq.

For more information, visit www.madelovegotwar.com/ and www.accuracy.org