IHT: Bush considers increasing pace of pullout..

[JMS]

Secretary of Defense Gates said after July the troop reductions would cease until 2009 to allow us to assess how strong the recent security gains had become...

This seems to suggest Bush is now re-assessing that position.



U.S. considers increasing pace of Iraq pullout
By Steven Lee Myers

Sunday, July 13, 2008
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September, according to administration and military officials, raising the prospect of a far more ambitious plan than expected only months ago.

Such a withdrawal would be a striking reversal from the nadir of the war in 2006 and 2007.

One factor in the consideration is the pressing need for additional American troops in Afghanistan, where the Taliban and other fighters have intensified their insurgency and inflicted a growing number of casualties on Afghans and American-led forces there.

More American and allied troops died in Afghanistan than in Iraq in May and June, a trend that has continued this month.

Although no decision has been made, by the time President George W. Bush leaves office on Jan. 20, at least one and as many as 3 of the 15 combat brigades now in Iraq could be withdrawn or at least scheduled for withdrawal, the officials said.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/13/america/13military.php

[Thiebear]

As always stated: For each battalion that is replaced by Iraqi's.
That battalion should go home...
rinse/repeat... done by February.
(should have been done June 2006 Rumsfeld).

[Goaldeje]

Bush considers increasing pace of pullout..


Yes. Well. Ahem.

[Koolblue13]

Out of the frying pan......

[JohnLockesGhost]

Does that mean they come home, or just go somewhere else?

[Zguy28]

Does that mean they come home, or just go somewhere else?Most likely Afghanistan.

My wife's cousin is getting ready to leave for his second tour in Iraq (also had one in Afghanistan). :(

[JohnLockesGhost]

Most likely Afghanistan.

My wife's cousin is getting ready to leave for his second tour in Iraq (also had one in Afghanistan). :(

How long will we have to stay in Afghanistan will be the next question.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

How long will we have to stay in Afghanistan will be the next question.
I suspect a lot longer than Iraq. The Taliban are much more fanatical than the enemy we face in Iraq IMO.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I think it is slowly dawning that we may have sacrificed Afghanistan for short-term results (which, in fairnesss, could lead to long term results) in Iraq. Afghanistan and Iraq are beginning to look like a game of whack a mole.

[DarrellsMyHero28]

If only his Dad had thought about pulling out...

;)

[DGreenistheBest]

In related news, Bush considers increasing pace of pulling out of America's ass.

[ECU-ALUM]

Most likely Afghanistan.

My wife's cousin is getting ready to leave for his second tour in Iraq (also had one in Afghanistan). :(


My nephew just left for his first tour in Afghanistan...and this is a kid who has hardly ever been away from home.

[Toe Jam]

In related news, Bush considers increasing pace of pulling out of America's ass.

Zing!

[USS Redskins]

What? This couldnt be - the democrats in congress said that this war was going to be never ending and that the Troop Surge didnt work and that the General in charge should be named Betray-us.

[mjah]

What? This couldnt be - the democrats in congress said that this war was going to be never ending and that the Troop Surge didnt work and that the General in charge should be named Betray-us.
What's interesting is that we keep on hearing from the Bush administration about all these successes.

Yet, the Iraq War keeps on not ending.

Now we're hearing that "the insurgency is in its last throes." Hmm. Rings a bell, doesn't it. Let's see what happens when all that bribe money stops flowing to the guys who were doing most of the killing of Americans.

Terrorists and insurgents in Iraq. On welfare. Welfare paid for by your tax dollars (when the money isn't being borrowed from China, of course).

Oh, wait, hold on a sec. Oh, okay. This just in: they're not on welfare. We're bribing them "to provide employment and security." Right. Tell me another one.

Your tax dollars are paying to put killers of American troops on welfare. Fans of Bush's War, who pretend to be good sensible anti-welfare conservatives, seem to like this idea. How times change.

The sad thing is, for $2 trillion we literally could have paid every man, woman, and child in Iraq over $70,000 apiece to rise up and overthrow Saddam and draft a constitution that said whatever damned thing we told them it should say. For a fortune? Yes sir, Mr. Bush. We'll have it done in two weeks. Maybe less if you throw in a pair of blue jeans. American casualties: zero.

I mean, as long as we're going to put the worst people in Iraq on welfare, we ought to also help those who are good people and want to better themselves and make their country a shining democracy in our image, right? We should have given them all $70,000 and then watched how the money talked -- and walked. And our friends and neighbors wouldn't have had to die. But, sadly then there wouldn't be a War at all. What a terrible disadvantage that would be.

Either Bush's War is going well, or it's not. At this point, you'd think they'd cut the crap and just be honest about it. But it's already too late for that, because precious few people believe anything this administration says anymore. They've already made it to the bottom of the barrel, so as far as anybody knows they might have just decided to keep scrounging.

You know what they say: Fool me 8 times, shame on you. Fool me 9 times, shame on... uh... shame on... ... ...Uh, we can't get fooled again!

[mbws]

What's interesting is that we keep on hearing from the Bush administration about all these successes.

Yet, the Iraq War keeps on not ending.

Now we're hearing that "the insurgency is in its last throes." Hmm. Rings a bell, doesn't it. Let's see what happens when all that bribe money stops flowing to the guys who were doing most of the killing of Americans.

Terrorists and insurgents in Iraq. On welfare. Welfare paid for by your tax dollars (when the money isn't being borrowed from China, of course).

Oh, wait, hold on a sec. Oh, okay. This just in: they're not on welfare. We're bribing them "to provide employment and security." Right. Tell me another one.

Your tax dollars are paying to put killers of American troops on welfare. Fans of Bush's War, who pretend to be good sensible anti-welfare conservatives, seem to like this idea. How times change.

The sad thing is, for $2 trillion we literally could have paid every man, woman, and child in Iraq over $70,000 apiece to rise up and overthrow Saddam and draft a constitution that said whatever damned thing we told them it should say. For a fortune? Yes sir, Mr. Bush. We'll have it done in two weeks. Maybe less if you throw in a pair of blue jeans. American casualties: zero.

I mean, as long as we're going to put the worst people in Iraq on welfare, we ought to also help those who are good people and want to better themselves and make their country a shining democracy in our image, right? We should have given them all $70,000 and then watched how the money talked -- and walked. And our friends and neighbors wouldn't have had to die. But, sadly then there wouldn't be a War at all. What a terrible disadvantage that would be.

Either Bush's War is going well, or it's not. At this point, you'd think they'd cut the crap and just be honest about it. But it's already too late for that, because precious few people believe anything this administration says anymore. They've already made it to the bottom of the barrel, so as far as anybody knows they might have just decided to keep scrounging.

You know what they say: Fool me 8 times, shame on you. Fool me 9 times, shame on... uh... shame on... ... ...Uh, we can't get fooled again!



It's all just more election season spin for the GOOP, I mean GOP.

[SkinsHokieFan]

I think it is slowly dawning that we may have sacrificed Afghanistan for short-term results (which, in fairnesss, could lead to long term results) in Iraq. Afghanistan and Iraq are beginning to look like a game of whack a mole.

Again, short of invading Pakistan, there isn't a whole lot we CAN do in Afghanistan

And I have said it here many times, going into Pakistan will be a big mistake

[Oldskool]

good ole dictator bush always looking out for the country.

tell the truth, your Sarge from the Bizzaro universe right? :laugh:

And it's good news that troop pullout rate could increase.

That may more troops could rotate home and keep the offensive in Afghanistan supplied with rested soldiers.