Petreaus On The Surge

Only because this will be the Grade A debate this fall:

Remember: the surge was supposed to lead to stability... and help rebuild civil society... all of which would lead to national reconciliation. All interwoven, all crucial. The surge was -- never was -- solely about security.

So -- isn't this an admission of ...

Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday.

Petraeus, who is preparing to testify to Congress next month on the Iraq war, said in an interview that "no one" in the U.S. and Iraqi governments "feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation," or in the provision of basic public services.

Page A-10 of the Post? A-10?