OFFICIAL Combat Troops Leaving Iraq Thread (follow along on MSNBC)

[gateley]

For those like me who will be glued to this. :hi: :patriot:

We KNOW it's not all the toops, but this is to witness this historic event.

EDIT to add: Coverage by Keith, Tweety, Lawrence O'Donnell, Richard Engel (on the ground in Iraq), and Rachel (also on the ground in Iraq)

[damntexdem]

1. They need to go on schedule.

And then the "trainers" also need to get out of Dodge -- well, of Iraq anyway.

[gateley]

2. Rachel said they're a couple of weeks early on this operation. I don't know

if you're watching, but she's secretly been there the past several days. Said even her staff didn't know what was going on.

They were talking about ALL troops out at the end of 2011, if I heard it correctly. God, I hope so.

[gateley]

3. Okay, in case somebody DOES come by this thread, I just want to give kudos

to the government for giving MSNBC the exclusive on this.

I remember in the movie "Live from Baghdad" that all the other news sources began all of their stories by saying "according to CNN" because they were the only news agency there at that time. I'm guessing it will be the same with this story giving MSNBC the nod.

I bet all other networks are glued to the coverage.

[one_voice]

4. YAY!!!!

Happy dance....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbV_iRpBZ3Q&feature=related


And Rachel is back tonight. :loveya:

A great start...still more to go.


***I posted this in your other thread, different happy dance though.***

[gateley]

6. Honestly, you were the first person I thought of when Rachel appeared! What

a well-deserved honor for her to be there.

[one_voice]

9. I'm so glad she's there...

KO just described it as the beginning of the end. I like that. Historic, chills, tears...this is huge. Somehow it will get lost in everything else. :-(

[Barack2theFuture]

5. which formations are being withdrawn?

which will remain?

[gateley]

7. Rachel mentioned who was leaving and I apologize, but I was on the phone

at the time. I SHOULD know, but essentially it's the "combat" formation. ???

They said there will be 50,000 "advisors" remaining.

I also heard reference to ALL troops (advisors :7) being out of there by the end of 2011.

I hope you can watch MSNBC -- it's great coverage and very informative.

[Barack2theFuture]

10. I can watch replay in about 6 hours.

not til then . . . :-(

[gateley]

22. I hope they re-run it. The on the spot coverage is great. Engel was just

riding with Lt. DeWitt over the Kuait boarder, asking Lt. DeWitt how he felt. Very moving.

CNN is covering it now and there's a link toward the bottom in the "CNN TV" section that let's you listen, and there are already videos of some portions up on msnbc.com now. Hope you can watch that at least, if not -- there are bound to be lots of them as the time goes on.

I don't think msnbc.com has the "listen live" option, unfortunately, but you might want to check. CNN is better than nothing but they're just speaking with experts (which is still informative) but nobody on the ground with the troops like msnbc has.

:hi:

Oh -- Keith just said '4th Striker Brigade' - is that what you wanted to know?

[Barack2theFuture]

26. Thanks for the update!

I appreciate it.

:hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. The LAST Striker brigade is leaving

the troops remaining are support units.

[Barack2theFuture]

18. :-)

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

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[jillan]

19. All the combat troops. Someone said - maybe Engel? that the remaining 50k troops is the same amount

we have in Germany. They are just there.

Hopefully this bs war is really over.

[gateley]

8. Richard Engel crossing into Kuait right now. He's been covering Iraq for 6 years! nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. So that's where Rachel was

and I am cheering for Lt. DeWitt and his men.

[gateley]

17. Don't know if you saw it, but Rachel said not even her TV crew knew where she was.

God love Lt. DeWitt, and all our troops there. This is so emotional.

[gateley]

13. Fox News has the Breaking News banner on its site, CNN has no mention of this.

So, it's rare, but Fox is to be commended.

[gateley]

14. CNN TV is covering it now. nt

[jillan]

15. Watching!! So happy this day is finally here!

I've been wondering where Rachel has been - that sneaky little lady!

[gateley]

24. Isn't this exciting? Yeah, I'm so glad she's the one there, with Engel, of course. nt

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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[jillan]

20. 50K same as what we have in Germany.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Not all troops are combat troops

but I am sure you have a problem comprehending that.

[GSLevel9]

27. oh... I understand.

but the problem is... they're still targets for insurgents, they're still there in the minds of the residents and their presence gives the extremists all the reason they need to keep fighting.

But if I'm 100% wrong, then I apologize and let me say:

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Whatever, since nobody said a thing

bout not being at risk... but do carry on.

[gateley]

28. Tell the last Striker Brigade who are now crossing into Kuwait that this is nothing.

[GSLevel9]

29. are they going to Afghanistnam now? nt

[gateley]

32. Why don't you find out? I know you'll be thrilled if that's their destination so

you can continue to criticize and complain and refuse to be happy for any improvement in the situation.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

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[chill_wind]

23. K & R to the Greatest with ya

What a day.

The only better day would be when we are totally truly out.

Another great, great day would the one where we rounded up all the barbarous war criminals and torturers and all the lying, scheming, demonic scum who cooked the intel that helped us get there and remain there for a disgraceful 7.5 years... And what a day it would be if we got our trillions back that was mispent and squandered day after day while watching our own economy collapse. FAR, FAR better than all that, would that we had never gone there.

The Cost of War has been very very grim. And remains as long as we still remain in Afghanistan.

But still-- what a historic day.

[suffragette]

38. All good points

And glad to see you here, chill.
I've missed your thoughtful posts.

[chill_wind]

41. ..

:hug:

I wonder what the ratings share was for MSNBC tonight? I still vividly remember the run-up to the invasion. The network war-drum music that had seemingly been scored almost overnight and became suddenly loud, pompous, relentless, deafening. The normally robotic talking head deliveries of the days' headlines became overnight a million more times animated and breathless. And the first bombing displays in what they so arrogantly coined "shock and awe". CNN was delirious with that first weekend's ratings. The most watched television in the history of their network, they said.

War was extremely good for their advertising revenues, they admitted, as long as they didn't stir up or air too much of the gruesome reality of the war (that was making them and so many other corporations unprecedentedly rich.) Nice wholesome family friendly product advertisers didn't want product placement ties to any of that kind of negativity. I remember an early interview with one of CNN execs that said just that. I knew then that between the Pentagon Pundit propagandists and choices made by the embedded network news orgs that the corp ho media would never, ever help end this war by exposing the truth and reality of it.

Millions of Americans watched that first weekend of the invasion. I wonder, in comparison, how many watched tonight?
What a long shameful chapter in our history.

[suffragette]

42. I remember that

and the marches before and after.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x216610

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=184x3745#3766
I'm standing next to Aristus in the top photo.

We tried, but as you note, the drums of war drowned us out.

I remember during one march with thousands of us in the streets of downtown. There was a camera crew and a woman shouted up to the camera man saying there were so many of us, they'd have to cover so many people's opposition to the war on that night's newscast. He shrugged and replied. "Yeah, maybe 30 seconds or so." Nothing compared to the hours of propaganda poured out on cable.

I have to say I didn't watch tonight. I reduced my cable back to basic awhile back.
I'm glad to have this thread here to participate in the moment.


:hug:

[DevonRex]

25. This is so cool. Thanks for the official thread.

:patriot:

[bdamomma]

30. Thank goodness we are out of there kinda

I am going to say it we should have never invaded that country, I am relieved for the troops. Funny now we hear the media talking about Iraq. One down one more to leave.

[gateley]

34. I just can not express the depth of my anger that we ever went there, that we continued to

stay (after Cheney got the oil and after there were no WMD to be found), and that we're mired in Afghanistan because of that evil Bush regime. SO, I'm happy we are actually departing Iraq - one step at a time. Actually, they've been leaving for a while (the combat troops) Rachel said, this is just the LAST of them.

I'm happy for the folks who are able to leave, and am grateful we're moving in the right direction.

[bdamomma]

33. kick

already Rec +1

[chill_wind]

36. The last vehicles will cross into Kuwait in the next couple minutes

(per Richard Engel).

[gateley]

37. That was very touching - Engel was pretty moved. The gate closing... wow. nt

[Scurrilous]

39. K & R

:thumbsup: