Casey: Only Half Iraq Troop Boost Needed

Outgoing Top Commander In Iraq Says Baghdad Could Be Secured With Smaller U.S. Troop Buildup

(CBS/AP)  The top U.S. commander in Iraq told a Senate panel Thursday that improving security in Baghdad would take fewer than half as many extra troops as President George W. Bush has chosen to commit.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his nomination to be Army chief of staff, Gen. George Casey said he had asked for two additional Army brigades, based on recommendations of his subordinate commanders. Bush announced Jan. 10 that he would send five extra brigades as part of a buildup that would total 21,500 soldiers and Marines.

Casey, the president's pick to become the next Army Chief of Staff, also differed with his commander-in-chief's description of the old strategy as "a slow failure," reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

"I actually don't see it as slow failure," said Casey. "I see it as slow progress."

With many in Congress opposing or skeptical of Bush's troop buildup, Casey did not say he opposed the president's decision. He said the full complement of five brigades would give U.S. commanders in Iraq additional, useful flexibility.

"In my mind, the other three brigades should be called forward after an assessment has been made on the ground" about whether they are needed to ensure success in Baghdad, Casey said later.

The new strategy depends heavily on Iraqi troops, adds Martin, but Casey revealed the additional Iraqi units moving into Baghdad are only at two-thirds strength and he conceded his progress reports on the training and equipping of Iraqis missed perhaps the key factor: their willingness to fight.

Casey's comments seemed put distance between his views and those of Bush and some lawmakers like Sen. John McCain, a Republican and possible 2008 presidential contender, who have questioned whether Bush's troop increase will be enough.

Casey made his comments as bipartisan efforts to round up enough votes for a nonbinding resolution critical of the administration's new policy faltered when two Democratic liberals signaled they would oppose the measure.

Sen. Russ Feingold issued a statement criticizing the nonbinding measure as weak, and said it "misunderstands the situation in Iraq and shortchanges our national security interests. The resolution rejects redeploying U.S. troops and supports moving a misguided military strategy from one part of Iraq to another," he said.

Separately, Sen. Chris Dodd, a 2008 presidential contender, called a news conference to announce his opposition.

Dodd's decision underscored a dilemma confronting other presidential hopefuls in the Senate — whether to support the measure backed by the party leadership, or oppose it and seek support among anti-war activists likely to have influence in next year's presidential primaries and caucuses.

The White House said Casey, in citing his December request for two rather than five additional brigades, was recounting old information.

[firststate]

singinrick posted "A 747 jet had a creator, an it was intelligently designed and did not "evolve" from the first aircraft, so what makes you think God couldn't do something greater?"

No offense rick, but your analogy that proves the opposite of your point. Without the Wright brothers plane or a similar starter plane, there would be no 747. The 747 absolutely evolved from the little bi-plane flown by the wright brothers. You can see the steps by looking at the aircraft of the last century. I could list each step along the evolution, but you can see if you just look at pictures. Like other mechanical devices or technology in our lives, today's versions are improvements or modifications of previous, simpler versions. You can see the evolution in cars, planes, TV sets, computers or most anything. New versions build upon and modify or improve upon those that came before. Your desktop is more powerful than a computer the size of a house 30 years ago, but the dual core processor has its origins back in the old 8614 chip, the transistorized version of mechanical/vacuum tube behemoths of the past.

[lars008-2009]

islam is a violation of international law

islam practices slavery on non muslaims
islam practices aparthied on non muslims
islam practices rape on non muslims
islam practices genocide on non muslims

all are violations of international law and are crimes against humanity

[Syndicate]

I think he is telling them what they want to hear.

[exusmcsgt]

-I'll say a prayer or two for ya.

Take care.
Posted by singinrick at 12:04 PM : Feb 02, 2007

Don't bother.

[exusmcsgt]

-Again, have a good day devil dog.
Posted by singinrick at 11:52 AM : Feb 02, 2007

If I don't have to read any more of your silly-a$$ed preaching it will be.

[exusmcsgt]

-if you think it's sillyness than don't bring up the subject next time.
Posted by singinrick at 11:46 AM : Feb 02, 2007

I'm not the one who's always preaching here you moron. You are!

[exusmcsgt]

singinrick-

All of your posts are anti-Muslim, anti-islam, how Christianity is superior, etc. Nobody wants to hear that drivel here.

We come here for news, information, and opinion not friggin dogma. But you just insist on continually preaching your trash. Take it to church where someone might want to hear it.

[exusmcsgt]

-so angry, but for what?
Posted by singinrick at 11:30 AM : Feb 02, 2007

Because you condemn others who buy the Kool-Aid just because they choose a different flavor and then presume to preach to me about tolerance.

You are a flaming HYPOCRITE and are in no position to preach to me about same.

[exusmcsgt]

Feel free to contact me anytime at [e-mail]

I don't hate you even though you continue to insult me
Posted by singinrick at 11:23 AM : Feb 02, 2007

Don't hold your breath. I get way too much of your silliness here to consider looking for more.

Look somewhere else for jewels for your crown, preacherman.

[exusmcsgt]

Believe what you want to believe, but seriously man, stop being so hateful, it's unhealthy.
Posted by singinrick at 11:19 AM : Feb 02, 2007

Shove that up you a$$, rick. You are the one here condemning millions of other people because they don't drink the same Kool-Aid as you and you want to tell me about hate?

[exusmcsgt]

If evolution is true, then life has no meaning, we have no purpose.

What? I have no dogma in my life and it has plenty of meaning. How pitiful indeed that the only meaning your life has is what comes from a "how-to" manual.

[exusmcsgt]

Religion is faith (or theory if you will) because you can't prove it either way. Religion is basically one giant field of gray.

Posted by Rafterman1 at 11:14 AM : Feb 02, 2007

That truth doesn't stop this moron from contending that he is the owner of the truth and all others are wrong, however.

[exusmcsgt]

-Again exusmcsgt, there aren't millions of Christians in the world right now favoring global Jihad on all who oppose of Christianity, there aren't Christians beheading people in the name of Jesus, and there aren't Christians telling their children to hate.

Oh, I guess the neocons are just a bunch of athiests, eh?

Right.....

[exusmcsgt]

I'm not here to impose any belief system on you exusmcsgt.
Posted by singinrick at 11:06 AM : Feb 02, 2007

No, you're here condemning another flavor of KoolAid and those who drink it when you are nothing but a Kool-Aid drinker yourself. Your peference in flavor makes you superior to them because they choose a different flavor.

Absurd.

[rafterman1]

"Being a Christian is about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

Maybe Jesus doesn't want a personal relationship with you. Maybe he just wants to be friends.

[rafterman1]

"Science?? It's a matter of faith my friend. You have faith in what the world tells you and what some scientist has told you"

Oh no, not this argument again. Science is not "faith" because you can prove the science with experiments. I don't need a scientist to tell me things. I can prove the science myself. And science you can't prove with experiments is theory. It's one or the other, with very little gray area.

Religion is faith (or theory if you will) because you can't prove it either way. Religion is basically one giant field of gray.

[exusmcsgt]

It's my duty to reach out to Muslims with the Word of God and show them how much Jesus loves them.

Posted by singinrick at 11:01 AM : Feb 02, 2007

And it's their duty to sell Islam. What a flaming hypocrite you are.

[exusmcsgt]

I hate the practice the teach because it's evil, at least from the radicals it is.

Posted by singinrick at 11:01 AM : Feb 02, 2007

No more evil than extremist Christains.

[exusmcsgt]

There have been plenty of Muslims who have become Christians, believe it or not, including a former PLO terrorist.


And there are plenty of former Christains who have adopted Islam as well. What does that prove? Only that the gullible can be convinced to drink another flavor of Kool-Aid.

[exusmcsgt]

Rafterman1-

This moron, singingrick, gets on these news boards and continuously tries to preach the gospel.

He must be so insistant on doing it here because they got fed up with his stupidity down at his church.