. . .will you believe the troops on the ground?

Soldiers in Iraq Back Petraeus Testimony

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq (AP) – At this wind-swept base near the Iranian border, the main points of Gen. David Petraeus’ testimony to Congress were met with widespread agreement among soldiers: The American troop buildup is working, but the military needs more time.

Most of the soldiers at FOB Delta, some 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, were out on patrol or sleeping when Petraeus’ comments were broadcast late Monday and Tuesday in Iraq.

But some heard it and others have read about it, and say they agree with their commander’s assessment.

I was able to watch and liveblog most of the General’s testimony before the House committees. I did not see yesterday’s Senate questioning. The impression I was left with from many of the pols on the left was the sense that they didn’t care what the General, or Ambassador Crocker, had to say. Their minds were already made up.

Many on the left spent the days leading up to the General’s appearances attempting to preemptively dismiss his coming assessment. It’s just not what they want to hear, in spite of his honest portrayal of conditions.

Those who are there, doing the work, have a much clearer understanding than any member of Congress.

Staff Sgt. Matthew Nicholls of the 71st Medical Detachment, visiting FOB Delta from his post in southern Iraq to do an assessment, said the military still needs time to clean up mistakes made after the 2003 invasion, including the need to build an Iraqi army from scratch and to secure the borders.

“I think our initial assessment was too rosy,” he said after reading about the hearings while sitting in the library at the recreation center. “It takes time to build an army and I think we should’ve secured the borders right away.”

The 36-year-old from Mobile, Ala., also said American politicians need to be more understanding.

“They can be critical because they are politicians and their main goal is to be re-elected, but they see a much more limited piece than the troops on the ground,” he said.

“What happens in Washington D.C. when somebody signs a piece of paper doesn’t necessarily make it here in the desert,” he said. “You can’t make everybody come together. Sometimes the best you can do is find intermediaries and that takes time.”

This young Sargent gets it as well:

Sgt. Nathaniel Killip, 24, of Indianapolis, caught part of the general’s presentation on TV and said he agreed that withdrawing all U.S. troops or setting a date to do so before Iraqi security forces have proven themselves ready to take over would open the doors for insurgents to attack.

“They’re just going to lay back and wait until it’s a softer target,” he said.

Killip said the troop buildup had made a noticeable difference since more forces arrived at FOB Delta in June, pointing to a dramatic drop in rocket and mortar attacks against the base in the past two weeks.

The men and women of our military in Iraq provide a much better endorsement of General Petraeus than any two faced member of Congress who thanks the General for his service and in the next breath says we think you’re lying.

Staff Sgt. Nicholls got it exactly right. Let me repeat the quote I highlighted above. “They can be critical because they are politicians and their main goal is to be re-elected, but they see a much more limited piece than the troops on the ground.”

It’s time they started listening to those troops, and the General whose assessment they back up.