On and on in Iraq

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 | 2:09 a.m.

This is clear from the testimony delivered Tuesday by Gen. David Petraeus: The Iraq war will drag on, with little true hope for progress, at least for the duration of the Bush administration.

In 2005 and 2006 there had been talk of possible U.S. troop reductions. It was fueled by President Bush, who was looking ahead to the midterm elections.

He spoke optimistically about Iraq, despite mounting U.S. casualties and its divided government’s helplessness in the face of unceasing sectarian bloodshed.

Bush’s optimism extended to his then-commander in Iraq, Gen. George Casey. In August 2006 Casey said he saw “Iraqi security forces progressing to a point where they can take on the security responsibilities for the country, with very little coalition support” within 12 to 18 months.

The realization today is that none of that talk was grounded in reality, and that Bush doesn’t have any idea how to even begin ending his falsely promoted war.

Petraeus’ testimony Tuesday was delivered before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He dashed hope for troop reductions, beyond the scheduled departures, by July, in the surge that Bush ordered in January 2007.

The general said he will recommend to Bush a “45-day pause” in reductions starting after the departure of the surge troops. “At the end of that period, we will commence a process of assessment to examine the conditions on the ground and, over time, determine when we can make recommendations for further reductions,” he said.

Bush has already said he will follow Petraeus’ recommendations. So the plain-English translation is that there will be no net reduction in U.S. force levels while Bush is still president.

Petraeus’ full testimony, and that of U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, clarified why: While trying to sound optimistic, they were careful to caution how stated gains in Iraq are imminently “reversible.”

It is a tragedy that the Iraq war, now in its sixth year, has no one in power planning for its end. Looming daily is just more violence.