Misleading the American people

According to the Washington Post, the Pentagon is claiming that it is accelerating the effort to hand over Iraqi security operations to Iraqis. The article quotes a colonel giving a timeline of "six months to a year" until the transition is complete in Northern Iraq.

Unfortunately for the Pentagon spinmeisters, the grunts aren't buying it, and they're calling bullshit. Money:

The ambitious strategy is being questioned by some U.S. military advisers who work closely with the Iraqi forces. They say that although the Iraqis are progressing, they are being rushed into battle before they are ready in an effort to speed the withdrawal of American forces.

"It's all about perception, to convince the American public that everything is going as planned and we're right on schedule to be out of here," said one adviser, Army Staff Sgt. Craig E. Patrick, 40, a reservist from Rock Island, Ill. "I mean, they can [mislead] the American people, but they can't [mislead] us. These guys are not ready."