Dispute Over How Deep to Cut Iraq Troops

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

By ROBERT BURNS

WASHINGTON (AP) - New calls from lawmakers to begin withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq may trouble the White House but are not too out of step with scenarios envisioned by war commanders.


Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno salutes as he enters Forward Operating Base Loyalty in south-east Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007. Odierno, the top day-to-day commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said this month that all five brigades probably would be out of Iraq, and not replaced, by August 2008. That would take the troop total back down to roughly 132,000. It is not clear how much lower the total might go by the time Bush leaves office in January 2009. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)


The disagreement mainly is about how deeply to cut, not when to begin.

Anti-war Democrats and some Republicans want to bring all combat troops home in a matter of months. Generals in Iraq favor starting the transition next year from a predominantly combat role, but only gradually; this approach would leave a six-figure force in Iraq for the next president to command.

About 162,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq now. Some 30,000 were added between January and June as the main element of President Bush's revised strategy to stabilize Baghdad. The first of five Army brigades in that buildup is expected to go home by April, if not a few months earlier.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070825/D8R89OIO0.html

[Vincardog]

1. aWoL's only plan is to have the colossal waste of lives and money be continuing as he is dragged fro...

`office pissing his pants and crying for mom.

Congress has to quit letting the RW nutz dictate what has to pass.
Congress needs to NOT pass any more funds for jr's death march in Iraq and bring the troops home NOW.

For those who say
"BUT BUT BUT they will kill each other and WE have an obligation".

I say it is the idiot bush's obligation. Let him pay for it with his family's war profits and have Helliburton chip in.

[Kelvin Mace]

2. That argument will last another two years

meanwhile, people will keep dying.

[stillcool]

3. The embassy is almost done!

so that should take care of Baghdad.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1655903

[otherlander]

4. Wow, uh...

Bad headline much?

[cheddar99]

5. Generals, ha!

Generals in Iraq favor starting the transition next year from a predominantly combat role, but only gradually...

Mixed bag there. General Pace link seems to have his head on straight, the Air Farce is insane, especially General Michael Moseley link. Rumor was last winter that four or five generals were prepared to resign if ordered to attack Iran. Scary times when the only thing standing between us and WW3 is a few generals with some ballz.