Cigar-chomping memo taking

Once again it appears that the Pentagon is using a willing John Burns to help control the debate in Washington, but the bullshit meter "surges" up to "high" when you read a passage like this:

General Lynch, a blunt-spoken, cigar-smoking Ohio native who commands the Third Infantry Division, said that all the American troops that began an offensive south of Baghdad in mid-June were part of the five-month-old troop buildup, and that they were making “significant” gains in areas that were previously enemy sanctuaries. Pulling back before the job was completed, he said, would create “an environment where the enemy could come back and fill the void.”

Ok, we got it. General Lynch is a walking cliché . But it would be nice if Burns did some actual reporting to

1. Determine if the "significant" gains being made actually exist.
2. Look a little more closely at how Lynch's fears of an "early withdrawal" compare with what's actually being proposed in Washington. Most of the proposals call for troop levels to start coming down in April, just as Lynch claims that's how much time his troops need. What's the difference?
3. Ask why the enemy could come back and fill the void today, but not on March 31.