President Bush’s Iraq advisers Meghan O’Sullivan and Brett McGurk sent him their nightly report on July 20, 2006. ” ‘The deteriorating security situation is outpacing the Iraqi government’s ability to respond,’ Bush read. Turning over the country to Iraqi forces was unrealistic since they were actually part of the problem, engaging in sectarian attacks themselves. ‘Violence has acquired a momentum of its own and is now self-sustaining.‘ ”
– Peter Baker, Days of Fire, Page 474