McCain: More Troops for Iraq

[QuietStorm]

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said after visiting Baghdad last week that President Bush needs to level with the public about the need for more U.S. troops as well as dramatically more spending to make postwar Iraq peaceful enough for democracy to unfold.
Neiman Marcus

McCain said that, when he returns from the Middle East, he plans to mount a heavy campaign on the issue in meetings with national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and other White House officials and during hearings of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"We need to tell the American people directly, and I think they'll support it," McCain said from Islamabad, Pakistan. "We must win this conflict. We need a lot more military, and I'm convinced we need to spend a lot more money."

When Bush returns next weekend after a month at his ranch in Texas, one of the first political firestorms he will confront is a broad effort by Democrats on Capitol Hill and on the presidential campaign trail to convince the public that the administration's plans for postwar Iraq need rapid revision.

more

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37101-2003Aug23.html

Is McCain right? Will American's support a building up of troops in Iraq?

[QuietStorm]

1. Not so sure about that

In Chicago on Saturday, the organisers of the protest will be addressing the dangers for US military personnel and others in Iraq. Parents of soldiers returned from deployment in the Gulf will be talking about their opposition to the war.

After the summer, a series of actions is planned for late September, coinciding with demonstrations in Europe.

One of the main US mobilising groups - International Answer (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) - is organising a march on Washington on October 25, which it hopes will turn into a protest of tens of thousands of people snaking through the US capital to the Pentagon.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=80753

[premjan]

2. McCain wants more troops

he's not going to be able to mobilize opinion for this. The troops are probably going to head back in six months or less.

[lindashaw]

17. He won't get them, says General Myers.

"We haven't been asked for more troops," he said on MTP.

[liberalnurse]

3. *bush wants his cake and eat it too.

We definately need more troops and those with civil management skills as well. But, *bush does not want UN troops under the reasonable terms dictated by the UN.....he wants to control the occupation.....

The only way to get more troops will be to institute the draft. I don't believe they can keep the same deployed for over a year. Many of them are Reservist.....time will be up soon and I don't think re-up is a pleasent option. We are running out of troops for 2004.

I'm just a nurse so military rules are a weakness of mine....My boyfriend is Air Force and a republican so I don't engage in much military/ political jabber. We can only last 2 minutes max.....Maybe its a good thing we are miles apart. It works.....

[premjan]

4. best solution

create a multinational force within 6 months and start pulling some American troops out. Retain some control to ensure UN does its job well.

[premjan]

5. a desire

to do things the "american way" or "bush's way" is pretty quixotic. If you want some reconstruction contracts or ensure security of oil exports to have money for reconstruction, make sure of that. otherwise, anyone else could do this thankless job equally badly.

[0007]

6. I think McCain is booking a loser!

Spending more money, sending more troops is like going down a dark tunnel with no return.

McCain should be thrown out of office. And anyone else with this type of tunnel vision.

[saigon68]

9. IRAQNAM

Welcome to IRAQNAM John McCain. Thousands more will be thrown down a rat hole.

This guy is a war criminal.

One would think with McCain's back ground he should question anyone dying for The CHIMPANZEE and his greasy, oily petroleum buddies.!!

[Mari333]

7. NO MORE bring them all home

www.bringthemhomenow.com

Let the chips fall where they may.

McCain can shove it.

edit to add: the UN and Annan are practically opening negotiation doors to the BFEE, but watch Bush and Co , in their arrogance, Blow it, as usual..

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/08/23/nyt.un/index.html

[QuietStorm]

19. arrogance

does seem to be the name of the game.

[Democat]

8. Bush should have thought about it before getting America into this mess

Of course, the oil companies and defense contractors are making money and donating a lot of that money back to Bush for 2004, so all is well as far as Bush is concerned.

[Jacobin]

10. IraqNam

You woulda thought McCain, of all people, would remember the lessons of Vietnam. You can't win a guerilla war.

Infidels trying to conquer and occupy a muslim country.....not a winning strategy.

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. So did McCain get a frontal lobatomy

when he had that operation for skin cancer? The man has done nothing but act has this misadministration's mouth piece.

You would never believe that he had run against W. I wonder how much they paid him for that job?

[premjan]

12. McCain as usual

is being ironic. He means it, in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way: just pointing out how much further resources are really needed to do a good job of this one.

He is a party animal, just trying to shock the govt into being more decisive.

[alcuno]

13. McCain said this a while back after his first trip to Iraq.

And the president still has not "leveled" with the American people.

[Mari333]

14. and Rummy is living with his head in his arse

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030901-477891,00.html?cnn=yes

[Q]

15. McCain seems to forget that Bush* pissed off the rest of the world...

...and the UN with his arrogant 'go it alone' bullshit.

- We'll be paying for Bush's* political wars for decades to come.

[susu369]

16. Is McCain right? NO

just saw him on MTP - the American people will stand behind the pResident...blah, blah, blah

Oh, and he also said "we need to get the oil flowing."

[teryang]

18. It's hard to believe that McCain

...could be so damn ignorant. It was a miracle that he got out of the Vietnam war alive, so I guess he believes that miracles do happen. But an American political victory in Iraq is impossible.

Yes, we can try to force our will on them indefinitely like we did in Vietnam but ultimately we will be forced out and have no say in what kind of government they have. I thought he recognized our mistakes in Vietnam but I guess he falls among the "if we only had more troops and less restrictive rules of engagement we would have won" school of foreign policy illiterates. This is the viewpoint of many if not most Vietnam war veterans I have talked to and it is completely wrong.

Like the Vietnamese people, the Iraqis will fight for 35 years if they have to, to preserve their independence. Victory in the conventional sense is not possible. It is just a matter of when the beating with the proverbial two by four gets our attention.

[jody]

20. McCain is correct and there are only two ways to get more troops

Implement the draft for more US troops
OR
bring in international troops after compromising with big countries like France, Germany, and Russia.

Given Blair's troubles, I doubt if the Brits will send more than a token force.

Bush will not do the former and he's to stupid and arrogant to do the latter. That puts McCain in a position next year to propose bringing our troops home and compromising with other countries for replacement.

I believe McCain's position is a very good political move.

[jody]

22. I was wrong, there are three ways to put more troops in combat units, see

my reply to the following thread.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=221634&mesg_id=224134&page=

Rumfilled wants to privatize more military functions and move the replaced personnel to combat units.

[lcordero]

21. I won't support anything other than a COMPLETE withdrawal

[teryang]

23. I'm with you

Bring them home now.