The Truth About The Troop Cutbacks (MEDIA SPIN SPIN SPIN)

[berni_mccoy]

This morning, all the news was about the BIG TROOP CUTBACK that Bush has authorized. He's allowing a reduction in troops from 17 brigades to 15 brigades. What isn't in the headline is this:

1. There are currently 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq
2. The two brigades have a total of 7,000 soldiers
3. One brigade is simply NOT BEING deployed as planned
4. The other brigade is NOT coming home... it's headed to Kuwait
5. Somehow this reduction magically takes us below 138,000 troops in Iraq, but they do not offer the math to show how that works (must be fuzzy math, you know give or take 50,000 troops)

That leads me to the conclusion that this announcement was a total distraction from SPYGATE and Daschel's revealing article. And that is NOTHING new about this administration.

The truth is all buried deep in the article here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/23/iraq.main/index.html

Of course, most Americans won't be reading the details of that article and they will be fooled by the images of a handful of soldiers coming home to their families.

[depakid]

1. They're simply whoring and lying for Bush

and anyone who thinks they'll ever stop is barking up the wrong tree.

Note to those who watch or read the corporate media: they're playing you all for suckers.

[0007]

7. You just ain't a wolfing there

[Captain Hilts]

2. Going back to pre-election troop levels. nt

[bridgit]

3. applied fuzzy mathematics 202...

[shenmue]

4. Rumsfeld is the devil

He is an infinitely evil, mean, lying ass.

:grr:

:nuke:

[wishlist]

5. Positive spin to subdue the anti-Bush sentiment over Christmas weekend

Obviously bogus news with math that doesn't add up (and not being questioned by the media) but it serves to prop up Bush and give something reassuring for the neocons and fundies to be able to spread around during holiday get togethers this weekend.

[pinto]

6. Good catch. The "7000 coming home" blip is being mentioned in unrelated

articles - this example is merely a one sentence repeat of the meme dropped into an article on loan restructuring for Iraq....

"US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said earlier that around 7,000 troops would return home early next year."

from
IMF Grants Iraq Crucial Loan

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1537535.htm

DU LBN thread here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2004718

[berni_mccoy]

8. Everything the admin says is a lie.