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."

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Read the full "Face the Nation" transcript here.

[chrisl45]

He can not make the mistake that the former Soviet Union made. They attacked Afghanistan and lost nearly 14,000 of their troops. We can not blindly begin a substantial invasion of that country. Any strategic move that we make should be made only with complete agreement of our generals. We do not even have to do it, let''s consult!

[homespunlady]

A 2 front war DESTROYED Napoleon and Hitler. It''s DESTROYING the US as we speak. But WAIT there''s MORE!
The Neocons think it''s a GOOD IDEA to Invade IRAN by PROXY- check out the stuff going on in Israel concerning this. Wondered what REALLY was behind King George''s backside kissing trip to SAUDI and Israel.
Can we say Wink and Nod to a "Moussaud" attack on Iran?

If the CONS keep power much longer there won''t be ANYTHING left outside THEIR "GATED COMMUNITIES".

[rowdywicca]

Posted by realpatriot1 at 09:50 AM : Jul 14, 2008

Who are you kidding? Obama hasn''t a freaking clue and has changed his stance on Iraq two or three times! He hasn''t even been to Iraq to see what''s on the ground! And yet promotes a withdrawal plan when he doesn''t even have the FACTS!

The man is a total buffooon that has used Iraq as an election year talking point and made promises he has NO IDEA WHETHER HE CAN KEEP them to get your stupid vote!

Geezus, give me a break!

[indyvet66]

Hail to the Chief for this rare bit of good news from the Bush administration.

This decision supports Senator Obama%u2019s contention that we can and should start drawing down our military role in Iraq

The Iraqi Prime Minister and Iraq''s top religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, have told the United States to set a timetable for U. S. troops to leave Iraq.

72% of Iraqis now oppose our continued presence in Iraq. They want us out.

A majority of Americans want American troops to leave Iraq.

That should be all you need to know %u2013 it is now time to begin the orderly withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. It is their country - let them run it. I say, let Bush start the job and let Obama finish the job.

Shoot, The Iraq%u2019s now have over 560,000 trained soldiers. Arm them up and let them get after it. If they want to fight each other...well, I say "go for it."

If we stay on after we are asked to leave, then we are just an illegal occupier of a foreign land. Kind of like the British in American %u2013 and you know how that ended.

As a former soldier, I tell you that we can plan, invade and occupy a country like Iraq in six months. We can also plan and execute an orderly withdrawal in 6 months or less. We just need the political willpower to do it.

The chickenhawks want us to stay Iraq forever. But Obama has a plan to end this nightmare. Wake up America.

[realpatriot1]

Bush adopts the Obama policy(only because he has no choice).

The U.N. mandate expires at midnight December 31 unless a new agreement is reached with the Iraqi government. The Iraqi government will only reach an agreement which includes the firm timetable which Democrats have been advocating for. Bush has no choice but to cut and run from Iraq.

The also exposes the ignorance of McCain advocating staying for 50 years like in Korea; that was never in the cards. But what do you expect from a U.S. Senator who doesn''t know the difference between the Sunnis & Shiites?

The irony is that a President Obama would be able to reach an agreement leading to a more orderly withdrawal than a President Bush or McCain will be able to without fully adopting the Obama policy.

They''re about 80% there already.

[clestes-2009]

Greatest foreign policy blunder in our history. The Iraqis are kicking us out. Which is actually a good thing because troops are needed in Afghanistan.

shrub will try to protray this as a success, but the truth is we got our ***** kicked out of a country we invaded and occupied, an ending that most empire builders face.

[johnmcsame]

A list of Hussein''s best pals"

Rev. Jeremiah Wright - antisemitic and wants to see Israel destroyed.

Louis Farrahkan - racist, homophobic, antisemitic and wants to see Israel destroyed.

Rashid Khalidi - antisemitic and wants to see Israel destroyed.

Ali Hasan Abunimah - antisemitic and wants to see Israel destroyed.

retired Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Merrill %u201CTony%u201D McPeak - well-known antisemitic

Samantha Power - we-known atisemitic

HAMAS - terrorist organisation that endorsed Hussein.

You are known by the company you keep. Husseins relationship with these people indicate that he is violently antisemitic.

[tonic1661]

Diplomacy IS NOT appeasement. It is the way in which a smart man avoids an argument and still is able to get what he wants.

Of course, there are those who will start wars because they are ignorant of the use of diplomacy.

But Americans are smart this time around and they will vote for a diplomat this Presidential Election.



We can no longer afford the Republican agenda.

[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.

[johnmcsame]

American will not support an appeaser like Hussein.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[newview08]

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

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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]

"Will Troops Be Coming Home Sooner?"

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

[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