THE TENSION: Reid, Pelosi: "Surge" is a Failure

Senate Majority leader Harry Reid
Open thread:

With a recent Rasmussen poll reporting his job approval at only 19%, you would think this politician would change direction in his failing Iraq policy. However, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, who commands a rating even lower than President Bush, took the opportunity Wednesday to attack the president and the troops despite the public's perception that bitter political partisanship is falling to produce results.

AFP reports that Reid, joined by Speaker Nancy Pelosi whose own Congressional approval rating according to a Bloomberg - LA Times poll are at a ten year low, told the president that the Iraq troop "surge" policy was a failure.

Instead of waiting for results that military leaders have repeatedly stated will not be available until August at the earliest, the letter prematurely pronounced the politicians' findings:

"As many had foreseen, the escalation has failed to produce the intended results."

"The increase in US forces has had little impact in curbing the violence or fostering political reconciliation."

"It has not enhanced Americas national security. The unsettling reality is that instances of violence against Iraqis remain high and attacks on US forces have increased."

"In fact, the last two months of the war were the deadliest to date for US troops."

With mainstream media's vacuous reporting of the extensive progress made in Iraq, it's easy for the anti-Bush coalition to point to individual events like today's attack on Samarra's revered Shiite shrine and make broad statements detailing flawed conclusions.

Too, it's unfortunate that Democrat leaders, who often cite the will of the American people as their mandate to bring about political change, ignore the opinions of the American people who really do want a change.

The military, which avoids vaudevillian, partisan bickering, takes a totally different view of the situation on the ground:

Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, June 2007 (pdf)
Primary source

Quarterly Iraq Report Cites Progress, Challenges
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2007 -- It's still too early to assess the impact of the new strategy in Iraq, but more progress is expected as additional troops come on line to boost security in Baghdad, according to the latest quarterly report to Congress, released today.

The June 2007 report, "Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq," assesses trends in terms of the security environment, political process, economic activity and development of Iraqi security forces.

The report measures both progress and setbacks between mid-February and mid-May. It's the first report for which the entire period took place under the new strategy for Iraq that President Bush announced in January. It notes continued momentum in building Iraq's security forces, which now number 347,000, up almost 18,000 since the last quarterly report, released in March.

In addition, nine Iraqi divisions, 31 brigades, and 95 battalions are in the lead or operating independently in their areas, the report notes. That's an increase of one division headquarters and two battalions since the last report.

These troops, along with coalition forces, have increased force levels and instituted new security measures to protect the population, the report notes. Four additional U.S. brigade combat teams are in place in Baghdad, and a fifth team is expected to be fully operational by the month's end.

Meanwhile, three additional Iraqi brigades completed 90-day deployments in Baghdad, and one has been extended until mid-summer. More Iraqi brigades are on alert and are moving to support operations in the capital, according to the report.

Despite these advances, additional forces are encountering heavy resistance as they operate in areas where they hadn't previously had a large presence, the report recognizes. Although civilian murders and sectarian violence in Baghdad dropped 45 percent early during the reporting period, that trend didn't continue through the rest of the period.

Of particular concern is the rise of high-profile attacks and expanded use of explosively formed projectiles, or EFPs, the report notes. These shaped charges can pierce armored vehicles.

On the political front, the report recognizes the Iraqi government's continued commitment to political, economic and military steps to further reconciliation between competing factions. It also cites increased efforts to help them advance these efforts. Yet the report notes that few key legislative or reconciliation actions were completed during the reporting period.

Meanwhile, oil production and crude-oil exports remain below projected targets -- the result, the report says, of poor infrastructure and inadequate security. Additional efforts will be needed to build capacity of Iraqi ministries and provinces to support economic development, it notes.

"Overall, it is too early to assess the impact of the new approach (to Iraq)," the report concludes. "Progress will depend on Iraqi follow-through on their commitments made as part of the new approach."

Insurgents, militia and terrorists working to disrupt reconciliation will be the biggest challenge to the Iraqi government's ability to fulfill its commitments, the report says.

The latest quarterly progress report is the eighth to date. It was submitted to Congress for review under terms of the 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations Act.