Ideas for letter to the editor around recent Gen. Petraeus’ Iraq War statements.

General

I am a [City/State] [Republican/Veteran/Business Owner/Family Member of Soldier] and as Rep. Capito’s constituent I urge her to reject the White House ‘spin’ in the testimony of Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Army General David Petraeus.

President Bush and Gen. Petraeus are trying to sell Congress on keeping our troops bogged down in Iraq, policing another country’s religious civil war.  West Virginians are urging Rep. Capito not to be fooled by the White House Iraq spin again and instead work to bring the troops home.

Opinion Polls

A pair of recently released public opinion polls reaffirmed that the American people are staunchly opposed to President Bush’s reckless policy and do not trust Gen. Petraeus to give an honest assessment of the situation in Iraq.

A “USA Today”/Gallup poll found a record-high 60 percent of Americans think the United States should set a timetable to withdraw forces and “stick to that timetable regardless of what is going on in Iraq.”  The same poll found that 53 percent of those surveyed believe Gen. Petraeus will deliver “a biased report that reflects what the Bush administration wants the public to believe.”

West Virginians, like a majority of Americans, are not buying this White House dog and pony show and Rep. Capito shouldn't either.  The Bush administration’s attempts to spin the reality of the ground truth of Iraq's civil war haven't worked.  This has been the bloodiest summer for U.S. troops in Iraq and public opposition to keeping our troops in Iraq has remained strong. West Virginians want Rep. Capito to bring the troops home safely and responsibly and reject pleas to give the failed Iraq policy more time.

Surge

The President’s surge has failed. This has been the bloodiest summer of the war for U.S. soldiers; Iraqi deaths from sectarian violence have doubled this year; and there is no political progress in Iraq. This is not a policy that deserves more time. Rep. Capito should stand up to President Bush and vote to bring our troops home safely.

Furthermore, seven in 10 Iraqis say the surge has worsened security in Baghdad and Anbar province. We can't win someone else's religious civil war. The best way to protect our troops is to get them out of a protracted religious civil war. Rep. Capito needs to force the President to end his reckless, endless war.

Selling the Surge

I am a [City/State] [Republican/Veteran/Business Owner/Family Member of Soldier] and I urge Rep. Capito to reject the White House ‘spin’ in the testimony of Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Army General David Petraeus.

The Bush administration PR Spin says violence is down but their cherry-picked violence numbers don't include many things like: getting shot in the front of the head (getting shot in the back counts); car bombs; and Shi'a on Shi'a violence 

This administration and Rep. Capito should stop cooking the books in an attempt to "sell the surge" and start bringing our troops home.