Report: Top Gen. To Advise Iraq Troop Cuts
Joint Chiefs Chairman Expected To Tell Bush Iraq Force Should Be Cut Almost In Half
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Fate Of Iraq In The Balance
The National Intelligence Estimate says there's been military progress in Iraq, but that political leaders still can't govern effectively. Bob Orr reports.
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Warner Calls For Withdrawal
The leading Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee is calling for troops to start coming home from Iraq. Bob Schieffer tells Katie Couric that when Sen. Warner talks, Republicans listen.
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Bush Defends Iraq Policy
President Bush defended Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's performance, as well as his own Iraq policy, saying he doesn't want Iraq to become another Vietnam. Bill Plante reports.
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Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace gestures during a news conference at the Pentagon in this July 13, 2007, file photo. (AP Photo/Heesoon Yim)
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A new intelligence assessment expresses deep doubts that the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki can overcome sectarian divisions and meet benchmarks intended to promote political unity. (AP)
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Gen. Peter Pace will make the recommendation to President Bush, the report says, a move that could pit the top military commander against the thinking of many senior White House officials as to how the Iraq war should be carried out.
The Times says administration and military officials have told the paper that Pace will express concerns of his subordinate Joint Chiefs that leaving more than 100,000 U.S. troops in Iraq through next year could put too much of a strain on the military.
Pace's advice to Mr. Bush could directly challenge a report being prepared by the senior U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, who is calling for sustained troop levels beyond 2008, the Times reports.
According to the newspaper, Pace is expected to give his advice to Mr. Bush privately, instead of making a formal report.
If the report is correct, and such a senior military official does contradict the Bush administration's stated strategy of keeping U.S. force levels high until there are signs of political reconciliation in Iraq, then it could serve to significantly strengthen the position of those who oppose the present course in the war.
On Thursday, senior Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia said President Bush should start bringing home some troops by Christmas, to show the Baghdad government that the U.S. commitment in Iraq is not open-ended. (Read more)
The move put the prominent Republican at odds with the president, who has insisted that conditions on the ground should dictate deployments.
Warner said the troop withdrawals are needed because Iraqi leaders have failed to make substantial political progress, despite an influx of U.S. troops initiated by Bush earlier this year.
Warner says the departure of even a small number of U.S. service members — perhaps 5,000 out of the 160,000 troops in Iraq — would send a powerful message throughout the region that time is running out.
But the U.S. military commander in one of Iraq's more troubled areas rejected Friday Warner's proposal — and by default, the expected advice of Pace — saying a withdrawal would mean "a giant step backward" in his region.
Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of troops south of Baghdad, said militants pushed from his sector in recent operations would quickly return.
"If coalition soldiers were to leave, having fought hard for that terrain, having denied the enemy their sanctuaries, what'd happen is the enemy would come back," said Lynch.
"He'd start building the bombs again, he'd start attacking the locals again and he'd start exporting that violence into Baghdad and we would take a giant step backward," Lynch told Pentagon reporters in a video conference from Iraq.
He said recent gains resulted from the buildup of troops in Iraq and that he needs all the forces he has until Iraqis are able to step up and take over, perhaps some time next year.
President Bush has refused to set any dates for the beginning of a troop level reduction, insisting that the decision will be made based on the judgments of commanders in the field.
In other developments:
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 628 CommentsLooks like Gen Peter Pace is about to "retire" so he can "spend more time with his family".
Clearly, with the entire government on vacation during the most part of the summer and virtually no progress made whatsoever -- this strategy cannot be thought of as anything other than a complete and utter failure.
Now, we know that we cannot maintain the current troop levels there for much longer.
So, once again, the "decider" decides wrongly!
WARNER should have to go. He is more interested in the Iraqi people and his Republican party than he is interested in the lives of American soldiers. How would they select the 5,000 from the 160,000 there???
Warner, and many other relics in Congress, seem to think that ALL Americans have 30 day memory spans. As the 5,000 come home, you will see news coverage like we have not seen in 6 years. The stories will begin to show ''victory''. Our SAFETY will be the number one Republican buzz word.......vote Republican or risk an attack. NOT BUYING IT EVER AGAIN.
Bush, Cheney & Gonzo, LLP appear to have wagered on the military reacting just like their own close circle of friends and supporters do where the taxpayer''s money is concerned: Suck as much money as you can out of the Treasury even if it means creating the demand yourself.
They''ll never understand honor.
Posted by mudrose
Sounds like you know what "Peter Pace is going to say" before anyone else. Guess you got a copy of his recommendations before anyone else.
continue your drinking and name calling from your jihad headquarters.
-------------------------
Do you mean never elect another Jimmy Carter? or Bill Clinton? I agree.
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!
Poor mudrose. He looks dummerer and dummerer every day.
The entire Iraq war plan was crafted, promoted and implemented by a select group of Zionists who run the Bush administration (Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, Kenneth Adelman, Scooter Libby, Elliott Abrams, Robert Zoellick, Ari Fleischer, James Schlesinger, David Frum, Joshua Bolten, John Bolton, Michael Chertoff, Bill Kristol).
Why is the sacrifice not being shared ?
Posted by nexgen99
Are they running?
continue your drinking and name calling from your jihad headquarters.
Posted by rushlimpdrug
Now, isn''t that my point dimwit?
Posted by micma
Well, considering the likes of your postings micma, you aren''t the brightest of light blubs to be criticizing anyone. Some of us do have a point of view.
Posted by king77shaw
Here micma, here''s someone who is as intellectually challenged as you.
You thought Nazis were left wing because you saw the word socialist in their official name. So getting analysis from you, talking like you think you know something, is pretty laughable. You accuse everyone else of not understanding, yet it is you who are the clueless one. Nothing is worse than a simpleton who thinks they are smarter than they really are. Like you and Bush for instance. So you make up for it by calling everyone else who shows you up as "enemy sympathizers" - as if that somehow puts you ahead of everyone. Pathetic.
Or is it that you''re waiting to hear your talking points on Pace from Hannity and Rush??
Bush''s Talking Heads are out in droves - they''re hitting every station that''ll have them - they''re talking in soundbites, lies, fallacies,, fantasies and delusions. TOuting areas that are now almost completely deserted as "safe regions". Of course their frigging safe - nobody lives there anymore.
Posted by nexgen99
Are they running?
Posted by rushlimpdrug
Why, is George Bush running again? All you ever hear of the loonies on the left is the differences between their candidacy and George Bush. Is George Bush running limpy?
Next President''s first job is going to have to to through each and every department Bush effed up and get rid of God''s Warriors on US payroll.
Dearie, limpy drug rush said it, not me. See, that''s how you people process information. Not fact but hearsay and then you go on your virtual rants talking about soundbites and lies and fallacies. Right up your alley.
The problem most of the country has with Bush is not that he''s running for office - but that he''s president and is running the country into the ground.
Sheesh - what the heck is wrong with you?? Too many generations of inbreeding???
-Mudrose.
Dear freaking lord, someone teach this poor child punctuation. I actually think this proud member of the 101st Fighting Keyboardist is getting dumber by the day.
For starters, our presence in Iraq makes us a bigger and more brightly painted target, distracting those who would harm Israel.
But more to the point, Israel would appear to have been the true beneficiary from the day the WMD argument lost all credibility and Bush changed his justification to regime change across the Middle East (although I believe he phrased it as "spreading democracy").
What matters it to America what kind of government sells oil to us, as long as they keep selling it to us? We have a long history of "doing business" with absolutely anybody if a profit potential exists.
But on the flip side of the kind, our oil money enables governments that are not friendly to Israel to buy all kinds of nifty weapons.
Which would certainly motivate some to, say, argue for the spread of democracy in the Middle East...particularly since Israel sits astride "The Holy Land".
Nazis as left wing socialists. Just like you. So get use to it. Fascism came into being through Mussolini. Nazis and Fascists were great friends. Hitler was a dysfunctinal homosexual who, because of his inability to come to terms with his imperfect seld, killed any homosexual in sight. He was excommunicated from the Church and he murdered 6 million Jews and 2 million Christains. We don''t know how many homosexuals he murdered, because no one counted. So sorry to burst your little pea brain, but get a grip, your analogies are irrelevant, useless rants.
And nyckate, don''t worry Liberty University won''t eat all the faires.
Hhmmm!!! I wonder if elections are next year.
Posted by wfbdem
I don''t see why people like you have a problem with run on sentences, that''s how you people think. Should have been as easy as pie for the likes of pseudo-intellectuals like you.
I hope you pro-war folk enjoyed the week or two of "the surge is working" glory. My guess is it''s the closest you''ll ever come to fooling the nation back into this war. It''ll all be downhill from here.
Posted by king77shaw
Fair enough. I take it back. I apologize.
BS: Nazis were definitely right wing.
Would you say that Korea is a democracy because it''s got "democratic" in its name ?
"Hitler was excommunicated from the Church."
Wrong again. But please post a link to prove it.
By whom ? Pius XII ? God, the guy blessed Hitler''s troops ...
Posted by mudrose at 09:47 AM : Aug 24, 2007
What about posting on topic ?
Tell us what you think of democrats like John Warner or cut-and-run apologists like General Pace ... That''s gonna be fun.
Make the documentary and put it on the discovery channel or fuux.
The story people are posting about here is about
"Joint Chiefs Chairman Expected To Tell Bush Iraq Force Should Be Cut Almost In Half"
so keep drinking - today is Friday after all.
What''s up with all these cut and run Republicans?
Posted by drummer94
Barney the dog is still available, he''s too smart to throw himself on Bush''s sword though.
Posted by nyckate at 09:56 AM : Aug 24, 2007
Well said nyckate. The adoration of the women on the right for those bad boys born again losers in America who have clinical disorders like Rush and Bush amazes me, and they have no qualms repeating the trash talk of an opiate head, what do you think do they know he was high for years when they were listening to his rantings, they guy is a drug addict. What would Jesus think? LOL
"We are socialists, we are enemies of today''s capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions." --Adolf Hitler
(Speech of May 1, 1927. Quoted by Toland, 1976, p. 306)
There''s more dearie and you will have to bear the fact that I was on topic but since you have a good command of Hitler, I thought I''d enhance it for you.
Posted by nyckate at 10:14 AM : Aug 24, 2007
You sound like that CBS idiot/bigot Dan Rather, he used to make it up as he went along.
Furthermore, the Nazis were health fanatics who banned cigarette smoking, promoted vegetarianism and organic gardening, engaged in abortion and euthanasia, frowned on all capitalist excess, and even promoted animal rights. They were environmentalists who locked up land from development to promote paganism.
The Nazi government introduced socialized medicine and government-mandated vacations at government spas, imposed handgun control, and expanded unemployment "insurance" and Social Security. The Nazis opposed the traditional calendar and wanted to replace it with one centered on race and nation rather than faith and family.
The thing you can''t provide is factual evidence of Hitler''s socialism. Problem isn''t it? See how meaningless soundbites and useless rhetoric is? Nothing to back it up -- you can''t back up hitler''s claim that he was a socialist and Bush can''t back up that his Invasion & Occupation of Iraq was justified.
Posted by drummer94
Barney the dog is still available, he''''s too smart to throw himself on Bush''''s sword though.
Posted by omega39 at 10:05 AM : Aug 24, 2007
At least Bush has a full deck, unlike most of you NEOSIVS on this site.
THis is what happens with simpleminded persons trying to comphrend things well beyond they ability. We get you touting foolishness, Bush touting fallacies and both failing the US badly.
Furthermore, the conference of German bishops excommunicated all Nazis in 1930, and in the 1932 elections forbade Catholics to vote for a Nazi. By being the leader of the Nazi party, Hitler had already put himself outside of the Church.
Finally, it should be noted that the whole purpose of excommunication is to help the sinner recognize the enormity of his sins, so he will seek forgiveness. As St. Paul wrote: "If any one refuses to obey our word by this letter, note that man, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not look on him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother." (2 Thes 3:14-15). Someone like Hitler, who did not believe in the truth of Christianity, would simply shrug it off.
http://www.geocities.com/chiniquy/Hitler.html
And lastly abbe dearie, what exactly does Peter Pace say in the article. I would like an exact quote?
First of all, Hitler wasn''t believed to be a homosexual though he was perverse in his sexual habits. So right there, you prove you don''t know c r a p about Hitler and Nazism. Try reading "Explaining Hitler" by Ron Rosenbaum. Strike One. Also, you don''t know c r a p about history, otherwise you would realize by the experiences of the French in Vietnam, the US in Vietnam, the Russians in Afghanistan and the Israelis in Lebanon that Iraq won''t be any more successful than any of those other misadventures. Strike Two. And you are right. Some people (like you) don''t know tyranny when it hits them in the face (like in Bush peeing on the Constitution). Germans didn''t realize tyranny was at hand until it was too late. Just like you not realizing tyranny in America from the far right is also at hand. Strike Three, you''re Out.
So please stop trying to pass yourself off as an intellectual. Also, your Hitler = left wing insistence is laughable. You against a million historians, huh? At least have the courage to admit you are wrong about that.
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