Good heavens! You mean Petraeus would actually fake a showplace in Iraq so he could show the gullible and the Kool-Aid drinkers visiting dignitaries around, so they'd go home all happy, make speeches on The Hill, and say "It's Surgalicious"? Say it's not so! Say Petraeus isn't just another loyal Bushie! Sadly, he is, and it's so. WaPo does some actual reporting:

Nearly every week, American generals and politicians visit Combat Outpost Gator, nestled behind a towering blast wall in the Dora market. ... Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. military leadercommander* in Iraq, frequently cites the market as a sign of progress.

Visits to key U.S. bases and neighborhoods in and around Baghdad show that recent improvements are sometimes tenuous, temporary, even illusory.

Even U.S. soldiers assigned to protect Petraeus's showcase remain skeptical. "Personally, I think it's a false representation," Campbell* said, referring to the portrayal of the Dora market as an emblem of the surge's success. "But what can I say? I'm just doing my job and don't ask questions."

Bingo. Read more…