RSS | Newsletters | Facebook CAP en Español
Center for American Progress Center for American Progress
Issues National Security War in Iraq

Iraq Timeline: March is the New September

Petraeus Repeats the "Six More Months" Refrain

Throughout this past spring and summer, President Bush and his military leaders have promised Americans weary of the endless bloodshed in Iraq that September would be a moment of reckoning for U.S. war strategy. Just another few months, they said. Let's talk in September.

Those hoping for our leaders to be realistic about the bad and worsening situation on the ground were sorely disappointed yesterday as Gen. David Petraeus called for yet another six months to let the catastrophe play out. March, it seems, is the new September:

I do not believe it is reasonable to have an adequate appreciation for the pace of further reductions and mission adjustments beyond the summer of 2008 until about mid-March of next year.

Drag anywhere on the timeline below to see how the call for "six more months" in Iraq has been an endless refrain since the war began. Click on the quotes for more information on each one.

 


 

For more on this topic, please see:

 

To speak with our experts on this topic, please contact:

Print: Katie Peters (economy, education, and health care)
202.741.6285 or kpeters1@americanprogress.org

Print: Christina DiPasquale (foreign policy and security, energy)
202.481.8181 or cdipasquale@americanprogress.org

Print: Laura Pereyra (ethnic media, immigration)
202.741.6258 or lpereyra@americanprogress.org

Radio: Anne Shoup
202.481.7146 or ashoup@americanprogress.org

TV: Lindsay Hamilton
202.483.2675 or lhamilton@americanprogress.org

Web: Andrea Peterson
202.481.8119 or apeterson@americanprogress.org

Subscribe to RSS Feeds

RSS IconSite-Wide and Issue-Specific RSS Feeds

Related Materials

Ask the Expert: What China's Leadership Transition Means for the United States, by Melanie Hart

Getting Smarter on China , by Rudy deLeon, Melanie Hart, Ali Fisher

The Obama Administration’s National Security Strategy

How to Stop the Bloodshed in Syria, by Sarah Margon, Brian Katulis

The Snake Oil of “Who Lost Iraq?”, by Matthew Duss