CHAPTER 34

The information in this chapter comes primarily from background interviews with ten firsthand sources.

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In early April 2007, Petraeus had led McCain: Kirk Semple, "McCain Wrong on Iraq Security, Merchants Say," The New York Times, April 3, 2007, p. A1; "Briefing by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Representative Mike Pence (R- IN), Representative Rick Renzi (R-AZ); Topic: Their Visit to Iraq," Federal News Service, April 2, 2007, www.fnsg.com; Sudarsan Raghavan, "Sum of Death Statistics: A Perilous Iraq; Merchants, U.S. Officials Take Issue with McCain's Remarks on Security Gains," The Washington Post, April 4, 2007, p. A9.

Asked about a suicide bombing: "Remarks with Senator John McCain After Their Meeting," State Department transcript, April 12, 2007, www.state.gov.

At a press conference: "Senate Democrats Hold a News Conference on Iraq," Congressional Quarterly Transcriptions, April 19, 2007, accessed via Nexis.

"Could I have couched my words": Harry Reid, The Good Fight (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2008), p. 20.

I later asked him: Interview with President George W. Bush, May 21, 2008.

In March, King Abdullah: Glenn Kessler and Karen DeYoung, "Saudis Publicly Get Tough with U.S.; King's Remarks on Iraq Follow Signs Riyadh Is Distancing Itself from Bush," The Washington Post, March 30, 2007, p.

A14.

On Wednesday, April 25: Carl Hulse and Jeff Zeleny, "House Approves War Spending Measure That Requires U.S.

to Start Pullout from Iraq," The New York Times, April 26, 2007, p. 12.