Will Troops Be Coming Home Sooner?

Reports Suggest Bush Administration May Increase Iraq Pullout Before Election, But Send Troops To Afghan War

(CBS)  Given recent Iraqi demands for a timetable of U.S. troop withdrawals from their country, and the Bush administration's continued opposition to any timetable, it was notable that some press reports indicated the White House may be softening.

Iraqi opposition to the adminstration's stance, coupled with increasing disfavor among the public over the U.S. occupation of Iraq, may be tipping the administration to seek ways to get more American forces out of Iraq before the November election.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., favors such a move, calling it "long overdue.

"We should insist that there be a timetable because there is no other way to force the Iraqi government to work out those political settlements which are absolutely essential to end the conflict," he told Face The Nation host Bob Schieffer.

"And when they're willing to have that kind of a time line, it seems to me, for heaven's sake, why should we be resisting that? We ought to be insisting on it rather than resisting it."

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said such a pullout is likely because of the intense strains being put on the U.S. military. "The demand for troops out there is intense. The battles on the border with Pakistan, with the al Qaeda forces assisted by the Taliban, are a source of more killing of American troops right now than anything occurring in Iraq.

"The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen, has indicated we need troops in Afghanistan," said Lugar, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "But he has no troops to send to Afghanistan. So it is logical in the military sequence that we are going to move troops out of Iraq, not immediately perhaps to Afghanistan, but at least to relieve the strain, which is intense right now upon our armed forces.”

However, in response to today's reports in The New York Times (that the White House is planning to increase the number of troops pulled out of Iraq) and the Washington Post (which reported that Iraq's resistence to a permanent U.S troop presence has all but scuttled a security agreement between the two countries), White House Counsel Ed Gillespie was noncommittal about the administration's plans.

“It's always been the goal of this administration to bring troops home from Iraq," he said, "but to do so based on conditions on the ground and understanding that we do so based on success that allows for a stable Iraqi government to take root.”

Gillespie noted the scheduled return of the additional "surge" troops - what he called the "return on success" brigades - who are credited with helping to strengthen security in Baghdad. But he said that such returns would be followed by "a period of pause, strategic evaluation, and we're in that period now, which is why I suspect you're starting to see some reports show up in the media from unnamed sources that this period of evaluation is coming to an end and there may be some additional recommendations coming."

---

Read the full "Face the Nation" transcript here.

[mudcatii]

Mr. Schieffer,

I knew you had game and you showed a little of it today, Sunday July 13, 2008. I assume this was a practice session because you had three class acts, Senator Lugar, senator Levin and Mr. Roger Simon. This was the warm up for the likes of Howard and Terry,Lindsey etc. Your closing remarks were solid which proves my point that you are still the MAN. No more miniature golf for you Bob.

[mudcatii]

Mr. Schieffer,

I knew you had game and you showed a little of it today, Sunday July 13, 2008. I assume this was a practice session because you had three class acts, Senator Lugar, senator Levin and Mr. Roger Simon. This was the warm up for the likes of Howard and Terry,Lindsey etc. Your questions were good, some rambling responses by your guest but not excessive and they responded to your questions about withdrawing troops from Iraq. Your closing remarks were solid, insightful and tapped into that now famous Schieffer experience and comment sense perspective which proves my point that you are still the MAN. No more miniature golf for you Bob.

[tibu987]

Of course troops will be coming home sooner.
It is no surprise now that the November elections get closer that many new good things will be coming from the White House.
Certainly, no one in their right mind will be surprised. It is just another political subterfuge, a better face before the elections.
And so it goes.

[riptide213]

Would US citizens support an official front door Selective Service System draft call up for these wars?

If answer is no, then why do citizens allow government manipulation to legally abuse loopholes to press gang those already serving in a supposed All Volunteer Force to serve at perpetual pleasure of Commander in Chief via a backdoor draft?

Why does American public allow President as Commander in Chief backed by Congress to shamefully get away with a read the fine print, war conscription, and unofficial backdoor draft by stealth?

How much tax money is annually wasted to maintain, operate, and staff a dust collecting never to be used again US Selective Service System?

Who has political chutzpah to activate the US war support and troop bolstering resource?

STOP LOSS, In Lieu of Taskings (ILO), 8 year minimum military service obligations called Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) are code words for backdoor draft.

Stop All Volunteer Force abuses caused by read the fine print, but legal US government shanghai subterfuge to maintain war fighting troop numbers.

Where does your elected political leadership stand on STOP LOSS, ILO taskings, and IRR call ups?

Stop STOP LOSS and backdoor draft shenanigans.

Spin up Selective Service now to bolster with fresh troops to press a case once and for all or declare victory and bring our weary warriors home.

Go full out or end pompous charades and these 21st century crusades now!

[antoniof123]

Hey Republicans 5 years too late you went to the wrong country remember.

[nativewoman]

What coming home? The subtitle itself says they''ll be sent to Afghanistan.

Increased pullout from Iraq before election time doesn''t mean jack.

1) There have been recent Iraqi demands for a withdrawal timetable so NOT Bush''s idea to begin with.
2) We''re going back to Afghanistan to play Whack a mole the very concern McCain voiced in 2006.

Good Lord! What a waste of lives and money.

[lindh4]

To end US world imperialist policy and bring home the hired guns you''d need 10,000 more suicide bombers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, that''s probably more suicide bombers than are available. And, as you all know, they can''t do it more than once.

What to do, what to do.

[mcv57]

Posted by NativeWoman

The Bushwacker and his pet rat Cheney are calling back the troops to REGROUP. Standard military protocal for another mission: IRAN.

[babooph]

Saw the propaganda interview with Condi -same as Rumsfeld"wonderful", result in Iraq. He said the torture was the same as "his desk work"-she was set up by the propagandist to not mention it.I always wondered ,if this torture got to the truth , why didn''t his desk work ??

[anecdote1]

"Will Troops Be Coming Home Sooner?"

Yeah, I''ll believe that when I see a "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner waving on an American carrier in the persian gulf.

[citizenusa-2009]

Today: 9 more troops KILLED in Afghanistan! FOR WHAT????? Bush "opposes" pulling troops out of Iraq! WHY???? It''s time we take our country BACK and stop living at the mercy of a DICTATOR! Vote Obama, its our only chance.

[bagdadshere2]

"Will Troops Be Coming Home Sooner?"

I think so. The job is done. We won. Bush is the greatest terrorists hunter we have seen. We must leave the IRANIAN problem to the next President: John McCain. Congratulations GWB you are a winner.

[bagdadshere2]

Today: 9 more troops KILLED in Afghanistan! FOR WHAT????? Bush "opposes" pulling troops out of Iraq! WHY???? It''''s time we take our country BACK and stop living at the mercy of a DICTATOR! Vote Obama, its our only chance.

Posted by CitizenUSA at 06:37 PM : Jul 13, 2008

Want gasoline at 15 bucks and a NUCLEAR IRAN? Vote BARRACK HUSSEIN OSAMA.

[edward1975-2009]

They want us out, no problem, how does tomorrow sound.

[pensacola88]

I think the carnage experienced is enough. We had unsecured airports, and some crazy thugs killed 3,500 innocent civilians. We responded and lost 4,000 troops and another 250,000 civilian people of Afghanistan and Iraq have died.

[chrisl45]

Because of any decision producing far reaching and global effects, we should definately not assume the wrong stance towards Iraq. Remember, most of the American deaths were pre-surge deaths. The important decisions made before pre-surge were not made by General David Petraeus. We have to obey the rule of using what we have learned. I''m for America, and I think John McCain can keep us from making wrong decisions.

[chrisl45]

I have to sympathize with Donald Rumsfeld''s mistakes. But, his mistakes lingered too long and should have been corrected earlier. Anyway, after the Gulf War, the US did not go into Bagdad because we were fearful of getting into an urban guerilla war. The belief was that fighting such a war had to be made with only a limited presence in the cities. We learned the hard way that to win such a war required more boots on the ground. But, I still have to bow to the old, early, 90s fear that urban wars are best fought with a few troops. Most of the American deaths in Iraq were pre-surge deaths. We should not completely withdraw from Iraq unless we want to be re-educated.

[chrisl45]

We should not make the Soviet Union mistake bu blindly jumping into Afghanistan and thinking we will win. The Russians lost their war in Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden has been hoping for such a war because he knows he can withstand any attacking forces. I have to say thank you to the American government for not jumping into Afghanistan and devoting a larger presence there. Everyone made the correct decision there. We''ll starve them out! You woun''t hear any argument from me if John McCain does not want to go there blindly in greater numbers.

[txgrouch2006]

ChrisL45 wrote
We should not make the Soviet Union mistake bu blindly jumping into Afghanistan and thinking we will win.
---------------
Yah, a lot of people were saying that back in 2001.

GUESS WHAT RIP VAN WINKLE - NAP TIME IS OVER. We WON in Afghanistan - WE THREW THE TALIBAN OUT OF THE GOVERNMENT, NOW THERE''S A NEW ONE.

This is what''s REALLY SCARY about the nutcases on these boards - WE WON TWO WARS, and they didn''t notice.

[txgrouch2006]

BUSH ADMINSTRATION ANNOUNCES THAT THE TROOPS CAN''T COME HOME. Due to the declining economy and the rising price of oil, WE CAN''T AFFORD TO TRANSPORT THEM HOME AGAIN.

Negotiations are under way for all U.S. military personnel in Iraq to become Iraqi citizens...

[txgrouch2006]

We should stay in Iraq JUST AS LONG AS THE NEW GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ KEEPS PAYING FOR US TO BE THERE. After all, we''re the ones who put them in power.

If they don''t pay, WE''RE GOING HOME.

[deacon20081]

The Iraq OIL was supposed to pay for the WAR..remember? I guess the 2 Trillion has been a "Tip"
for such good service.

Like to know a little truth about George? Look at this site. www.TheNewAmerican.com See how much you trust the clown then.

[txgrouch2006]

deacon20081 wrote
The Iraq OIL was supposed to pay for the WAR..remember?
---------------
I thought that was my idea. Did someone actually say that?

[9SLING]

America, TAKE YOUR COUNTRY BACK!
www.constitutionparty.org
CHUCK BALDWIN 2008!
Do your research and WRITE THE VOTE IN!!!
Obama and McCain will both pull us further into this HOLE and away from our spirit and our roots.
THE CONSTITUTION AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS

[excoachken]

The Bush neo-CONMEN will do anything to try to steal an election.

[kdf_worf]

If they do, it was because the "president" of Iraq asked the question "When are you going to leave?".....and even though the Fascist bush administration doesn''t want to leave all of that Oil behind, they are now on notice that they have to go!

Good for the Iraqui president..........

[sgtrds10-4]

The invasion and occupation of Iraq was and is the single most ignorant thing any American president has ever done, bar none and with nothing else even close. Not only do we need a timetable to get out we should have never got our 4100+ troops killed for nothing in the first place!

[sgtrds10-4]

America, TAKE YOUR COUNTRY BACK!
www.constitutionparty.org
CHUCK BALDWIN 2008!
Do your research and WRITE THE VOTE IN!!!

Posted by neocon9 at 09:24 PM : Jul 13, 2008

I agree completely! As a strong Obama supporter I strongly urge every disaffected Republican who hates McCain to vote is protest for Chuck (what was his name again? Oh yeah) Baldwin!

Please!

[homespunlady]

Hmm... let''s see What did the people of the US GET FOR THEIR MONEY recently.

Billionaire dialysis patient, terrorist leader and BUSH FAMILY "friend" Osama Bin Laden still FREE and deemed "unimportant" by King George.

Three WELL INSURED, ASBESTOS laden buildings conveniently REMOVED for LARRY SILVERSTEIN WITHOUT COST TO HIM - as well insured as they were - he probably MADE A PROFIT and NOW he "OWNS" the SEARS TOWER. I''d HATE to be HIS insurer.

Several MULTINATIONAL oil CORPORATIONS, the SAUDI OIL FAMILIES and Multinational ARMS and WAR CORPORATIONS have had UNPRECEDENTED PROFITS.

TRILLIONS in UNACCOUNTED for DOLLARS missing conveniently had "evidence" disappear just like that money disappeared.

Cheney had a "small fire" in HIS offices and his lawyer "apologizes" for being "in the way" of that buckshot. His "accidents" just keep on being interesting".

A BIG increase coming in POVERTY, CRIME, "CRACK-DOWNS", and EMIGRATION rather than "immigration.

A WEALTH GAP BIGGER THAN the one that CAUSED the GREAT DEPRESSION.

The US ECONOMY TOTALLY GUTTED and all it took was some smoke and mirrors diversions, a shell game using "tax breaks" and some REAL STUPID "believers".

And FINALLY - oh yeah, 2 "useful wars" to bring it ALL ABOUT as well as thrilling the twisted "end of the world to bring on salvation" WACKOS of ALL the power hungry religions.

[demwatcher]

We have you Democrats/Liberals/Leftists figured out. Your hate spewing monologues are a result of your frustration at being beaten for the past eight years by President Bush AND the knowledge that your candidate does not have a snowball''s chance because he is un-qualified to be president. Your Democrat Congress is the WORST in history with it''s NINE percent approval rating and it''s record of doing NOTHING. They will not stand by their promises that fished your votes to install them into power.

Getting whipped on a regular basis by Conservatives AND your own party tends to sour a puss.

[johnmcsame]

Thanks to President George Bush, we now have a fledgling democracy in the Middle East. Bush was right after all about Iraq.

[johnmcsame]

Why are liberals so sleazy? Are they all only interested in promiscuous ***?

[kdf_worf]

Funny how the republicanazi and their supporters HOPE that the American public looses their memory of the past few years of war, poor ecconomic growth, a recession bordering a depression, evesdropping on the American public like we were in a gulag.....you know, the things that the supporters like some here are refusing to acknowledge ever happened.....and then these nazis have the gall to try to call those who can still think "vile, unamerican, slezy leftists....as if being a vile, unamerican, slezy republicanazi puppet is any better........go back home, trolls. Your mother is calling you home.

[erichsh]

Hey homespunlady, do you think Bush personally ordered the 9/11 attacks? Be honest now. Anyone else?

[barocalto]

Thanks to President George Bush, we now have a fledgling democracy in the Middle East. Bush was right after all about Iraq.

Posted by johnmcsame

[smirk5]

erichsh,
I don''t. That''s crazy. Now, did Bush Jr. head to Crawford to watch his dog chase armadillos after getting the PDB telling him that Bin Laden was determined to attack inside the U.S? Yeah, he did do that.

[randynason]

Thanks to Bush our economy has failed, our standing in the world community has failed, our military is broken and other nations we owe money to own more than 50% of our ports and landmark properties. To say that Bush was right all along is about as lame a remark as anyone might make. It would take a moron even more stupid than Bush to say something like that.

[homespunlady]

erichsh
I think George is about on PAR with Saddam - BOTH interested in ONLY their own personal power circle.

NEITHER noticed the plight of those nameless VICTIMS of their SELFISH GAMES, Both have been cursed with a vision SO NARROW that ANYONE OUTSIDE their circle of yes men and toadys simply didn''t exist in their reality.

That said - no I doubt he ordered or even instigated such an action. It would take a group to "arrange" such a thing. Whether it was a SAUDI group, an "international" group, or a "covert" group doesn''t really matter except for a moral need for "truth". The damage and continuing REPERCUSSIONS have been set in place.

The one thing I do know is the RESULTS and some WHO BENEFITED as well as others I knew who had their lives destroyed that day. I chose NOT to benefit and ignored a veiled warning I received on 9/10, others chose differently.

Follow the money.

It is ALWAYS the winners that write "history" and thus it is seriously flawed concerning "truth"..

[homespunlady]

RandyNason
On the other hand Osama Bin Laden DID state that HIS GOAL was just about EXACTLY what YOU have described.

Now all we have to do is post "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banners on ALL gas station price boards, at the entrances of "soup kitchens", on ALL the foreclosure signs and at those new "SUV PARKS for the "homeless".

Here''s an "interesting take" on this continuous "cycle" of Financial institution failures:

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/CIA/S&L_Scandal_CIA.html

[tawpdawg11]

"Will Troops Be Coming Home Sooner?"

My God will answer my prayer? Start NOW! They''ve sacrificed too much, already.

[deacon20081]

ericsh.....I would not be surprised.
johnmcsame....Bush was WRONG, otherwise he would not have lied to start a war for OIL. If I were he, I would not be concerned about History..I would be concerned about War Crimes Trials after he leaves office.
There will be no "Pardons" for him
On another note this story is about Propaganda for John McSameBush...

[tawpdawg11]

ericsh - some have said to follow the money. Who profited? Put option volume on airline stocks the week before the WTC disaster was astronomical. Same creeps using those proceeds to perpetuate high oil prices with futures contracts now. Who knows what will be next....probably shorting bank stox for the big meltdown tomorrow morning. Enjoy yer depression! Have a nice nite!

[downtowner97]

It would be laughable to suggest that what exists in Iraq is a democracy. The people picked their government from a book of mug shots. It wasn''t an informed decision, as there was no media working at the time. The government there has had to pretend to approve of the US occupation. If peace breaks out in Iraq, American oil companies'' profits will fall. That won''t be allowed to happen. We have to be in a constant state of war for the Patriot Act to work and for our government to have complete control.

[babooph]

The propaganda system may not be confident in the sham election yet-they have to be sure the suckers think one party is different than the other-bring a few poor souls home & calm things a bit,until they see the propaganda working well.

[newview08]

They should take the out while it''s there, it would be a good move for this administration.

[mcvet]

Hummm??? I guess Iraq WASN''T the Front in the War on Terror after all... Well we can just add THAT lie to all the rest told by the Worst President in US History. One thing is certain the Republican Party is HISTORY if they don''t do something soon. When the AMERICAN People go to the polls and send a message, they ALWAYS mean business. Sieg Heil Y''all.

[tonic1661]

Obama''s judgment has been right all along. He did not vote for the war and is campaigning for a pull out. Because the Republicans see that Obama is gaining traction they want to pick up his agenda without saying so. Then the Republicans can say they ended the war smartly. Right now it is all about the Election.

Sad and Sorry to say it is not about the lives of our soldiers.

[johnmcsame]

Nope - they''''ll be taken out of Iraq and sent to fight and finish the REAL war that Should have been won already! Afghanistan!

Posted by shado269 at 07:41 AM : Jul 14, 2008

You can''t argue with ignorance. The war on terror is not ended sooner simply by putting more troops in Afghanistan. The truth of the matter is that Pakistan is giving refuge to Osama bin Laden and Al-qaeda. What do you want the US military to do? Invade Pakistan? Take unilateral action against Pakistan like what Hussein Obama said.

President Bush was right in opening up a second front. Thousands of muslim terrorist were trained in Afghanistan when Bill Clinton was in power. They terrorist are lying low and waiting to strike. What the US military is trying to do is to bait them out and destroy them when they stick their cowardly heads out. This will take patience and time but the strategy is now showing signs of success in Afghanistan and Iraq. Al-qaeda is on the wane.

[johnmcsame]

American will not support an appeaser like Hussein.

[forthepeopl1]

your goverment hidding 7 oil well ready to produce all the oil we can handle,from 1970 until now they have held these,already drill and cap,just hook up. there more oil and gas than all of russia,and saudia,together..come americans demand they come clean


The Energy Non-Crisis
Forword

The honesty, integrity, and therefore the credibility, of the authors of this book is unquestionable to the limit of their combined facts and knowledge.

I can personally attest to many of the facts, and certainly many of the conversations quoted in the book, as I spent a week with Chaplain Lindsey on the North Slope of Alaska during the construction of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. I was privileged to talk with high officials of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. For reasons unknown to me, I was given access to private information that apparently very few outsiders were ever given. I moved among the men at work and in the baracks. Our President has stated that our energy problem is the equivalent of war. Yet he has embraced policies that have continually discouraged and hampered the development of our oil industry.

It is with great pride and pleasure that I endorse this manuscript and compliment the authors for taking time to do the research and make it available to all of us.

March 19, 1980 Hugh M. Chance
Former Senator of
The State of Colorado

please goggle gas price manipulation and gull island oil. or just gull island iol and gas.