On the letter.
First to clarify since it's been brought up again on multiple responses. I personally didn't have a problem with the date on the letter, I was reporting what was being commented on back and forth on Twitter when people were arguing about authenticity. Some of the discussion focused on the date and whether that format would be used. I didn't have an opinion either way, it looked fine to me.
Now on to the 'mistakenly sent' draft letter.
I see these possibilities:
1. Incompetency. I really hope not. Not when we are so close to action. Keep in mind - the letter was written even if it wasn't meant to be sent. Why is anyone in the military even drafting a letter saying we are withdrawing if the Pres and Secy of Defense has not given such an order and in fact has been saying the exact opposite? That's a letter than should never have been drafted, or put to paper in the first place.
2. Someone trying to make the Pentagon look bad sent the draft to Iraq knowing it as only a draft and was not meant to be sent or worse yet, faked a draft letter and sent it. If it was faked too, I don't think anyone will admit that but it could explain why such an ill conceived letter was drafted in the first place if we have no intention of leaving.
3. Someone trying to sow deliberate confusion - I really don't think so but I'll leave it since it's been posted here a few times.
4. Someone who has their own agenda and wants the troops to leave drafted and sent the letter to start something moving. This is a variation of #2, in #2 it was pure malice, in this situation the person is agenda driven and thinks they were doing the right thing.
5. And the hollywood movie possibility which I'm adding because I like it and I wish our military was as cunning as what we see in some movies/novels: they needed to get something or someone very important out of the Green Zone and didn't want anyone interfering with the helicopters. So they sent the unsigned letter to their counterpart in Baghdad to insure they'd stand down thinking that the US was withdrawing. Once the 'package' landed safely outside Iraq, they took back the letter and said it was all a mistake. I really doubt this is what happened, but if that is what happened, good on them.
HD