Posted on 07/12/2008 4:45:46 PM PDT by flyfree
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President Bush leaves office on Jan. 20, at least one and as many as 3 of the 15 combat brigades now in Iraq could be withdrawn or at least scheduled for withdrawal, the officials said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
No real news here, but at least the NY Times is noticing.
How many times has the President said: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. What he wouldn’t do...and rightly so...was to commit to a withdrawal date.
Same end result that the public wanted, but, unlike via the left’s approach we leave Iraq a better place and our own security enhanced.
The left has been very successful in making the public believe that the right and left want different outcomes when in fact it’s that they have different approaches to some of the same outcomes. For example, everyone wants to bring the troops home, but the right wanted to do it responsibilibly and victoriously. The left wanted to do it regardless of the consequences to appease the Soro$ crowd. Be it welfare reform or economic growth, the right’s approach ultimately gets us to the desired end result; however, without the unintended negative consequences the knee-jerk liberals would wrath upon us.
Yep. Nice when a plan finally starts working out.
THE NEW YORK TIMES ENDORSES DUBYA!
Now, that's news...
“The Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September...”
That’s a Sept/October surprise I could really enjoy! If only the GOP has the guts to capitalize on it. Iraq victory and highlight the Democrats’ obstrution of any attempts to drill for more oil. I even hear liberals at work start to say that we need more oil. It’s an issue that could lead to a Republican landslide this year! (I know you are seeing “Republican landslide” and are thinking this guy’s hitting the red wine a bit too much but it could happen.)
“The Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September...”
That’s a Sept/October surprise I could really enjoy! If only the GOP has the guts to capitalize on it. Iraq victory and highlight the Democrats’ obstrution of any attempts to drill for more oil. I even hear liberals at work start to say that we need more oil. It’s an issue that could lead to a Republican landslide this year! (I know you are seeing “Republican landslide” and are thinking this guy’s hitting the red wine a bit too much but it could happen.)
The U.S. has *already* reduced our forces in Iraq by 25%.
By the end of this year, that will be a 50% reduction.
Yes, by the time that President Bush retires...more than half of our forces will have been drawn down from Iraq.
Victoriously. Leaving stability there. Leaving an ally there.
The NY Times can put that into their pipes and smoke it.
“Victoriously. Leaving stability there. Leaving an ally there.
The NY Times can put that into their pipes and smoke it.”
I sure pray you are right. It’s what I’ve prayed for since the beginning. I will be very pleasantly surprised. Elated actually. I don’t want the deaths of our best and bravest to have been senseless. I don’t agree with the nation building approach because I don’t believe it’s the one that minimizes casualties on our side but nobody can argue against the fact that there has been no major terrorist attack in years now.
It’s impossible to prove how many lives have been saved because of the difference the coalition forces have made and are making. Yet, President Bush gets almost no credit and probably never will. No matter how much I disagree about some aspects of this, I do give him credit for this and I give the coalition forces credit for it too.
” The left has been very successful in making the public believe that the right and left want different outcomes when in fact its that they have different approaches to some of the same outcomes. For example, everyone wants to bring the troops home, but the right wanted to do it responsibilibly and victoriously. The left wanted to do it regardless of the consequences to appease the Soro$ crowd. “
Not quite. The left WANTED to LOSE the war in order to EMBARRASS BUSH. Winning is the worst possible outcome for them. You could see it foreshadowed on their faces at the emergency address following 9/11. “What are we going to have to do to beat him? What’s it going to take?” They don’t care about the troops, they care about their own little narcissistic power trip. That’s why they are evil, not misunderstood.
It's not impossible. About 75% of the public wants to drill for oil with over $4 gallons of gasoline. Independents are really P.O. at this Congress according to the latest Rasmussen Poll. Independents and moderates tossed out the GOP in 2006.
“Victoriously. Leaving stability there. Leaving an ally there.”
Not only an ally but probably one of the most capable armies in the world given their training and on the job experience.
As David Horowitz brilliantly explained in Unholy Alliance, Radical Islam and the American Left, Islam and the Left have the same near term goal, our defeat.
Their long term goals diverge, but hey, they are in the same bed today and are having a great time.
Now, I can say with all conviction that it is working.
We've got the Big Mo (momentum) going big-time now.
Such a withdrawal would be a striking reversal from the nadir of the war in 2006 and 2007.s/b
Such a withdrawal would be a striking reversal from the nadir of the war in 2006, which led to the successful troop surge.or better yet
Such a withdrawal is the direct result of the successful troop surge.Thanks neverdem.
We would all endorse Dubya if it were only true. Alas, the last 7.5 years have made us all so accustomed to Bush Administration lies and misleading statements that we know most everything they say is false, even when their pronouncements are coated with a thin veneer of truthiness.
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