Is there a "decision process" in place?

Top commander: Iraq assessment needed
By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
4 march 2008
WASHINGTON - The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East said Tuesday that officials will probably need some time this summer to reassess the situation in Iraq before drawing down more troops.

Adm. William Fallon said he expects Gen. David Petraeus will suggest to him that come midyear, "it's prudent to make an assessment of where we are."

This is the professioanl statistican speaking: is there a decision process in place, or being developed?

Here's an opportunity for someone - Adm. Fallon, specifically - to buck the W Administration trend and actually plan ahead.

What questions will be asked during this summer's assessment? What answers are anticipated (the full range of possible answers, not just what we want to hear!)? What answers would comprise a, "We can continue troop draw-down" decision? What answers would comprise a, "We cannot continue to draw down troops at this time" decision? What other decisions/actions are envisioned beyond these two? Are there any answers that would lead to the decision, "Our continued military presence in Iraq is hindering political progress and we should withdraw all troops expeditiously now."?

This is pretty much basic business decision-theory: what decision do you have to make? What information will you use in making this decision? How will you use the information? (Note: there's no need to collect information that will not be used to make the decision. There's no need to collect any information if any and all information will result in the same decision being made.)

Think of the decision process as a research protocol.

Is any of this work being started today? - just planning for the (latest) critical decision?

[Note: I thought this was what we supposed to get from the much-heralded "Petraeus report" last September! Will Fallon's summer assessment be the next great hope hyped by the media? I note that continuing to rely on ~annual military assessments pretty much condemns us to an eternal presence in Iraq.]

p.s. From my perspective we already know everything we need to know to make a decision about our Iraq engagement, and the best decision - from any number of cost-benefit dimensions - is to withdraw now, today!