gandalf: Dude! The horse is dead. Stop beating it.

Petraeus is a stud, though. His accomplishments with the 82d Airborne during his tenure as CO really stand out as how to operate effectively in a counter-insurgency environment without incurring US or civilian casualties to an unnecessary degree.

As a former soldier, I would also caution you as to reading too much into his comments. Regardless of one’s thoughts, feelings or affiliations, all professional officers maintain impartiality at all times to prevent any sort of misunderstanding.

Lastly, according to a buddy of mine in Baghdad, troop count was not a marginal factor. It wasn’t the decisive factor, either, that much is true, but it wasn’t marginal.