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Officials: US troops to leave Iraq by August 2010
Associated Press ^ | Feb. 24, 2009 | PAMELA HESS and ANNE GEARAN

Posted on 02/24/2009 1:46:25 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY

WASHINGTON – The United States plans to withdraw most of its troops from Iraq by August 2010, 19 months after President Barack Obama's inauguration, according to administration officials. The withdrawal plan would fulfill one of Obama's central campaign pledges, albeit a little more slowly than he promised. He said he would withdraw troops within 16 months, roughly one brigade a month from the time of his inauguration.

The officials said they expect Obama to make the announcement this week. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bho44; bhodod; iraq; timetable; troopwithdrawal

1 posted on 02/24/2009 1:46:25 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
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To: Free ThinkerNY
"The United States plans to withdraw most of its troops from Iraq by August 2010, 19 months after President Barack Obama's inauguration"...and following President George W. Bush's victory in the war, which President Obama opposed.
2 posted on 02/24/2009 1:48:24 PM PST by americanophile
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Hold on terrorists!

Help is on the way!!!


3 posted on 02/24/2009 1:48:29 PM PST by PetroniusMaximus
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To: Free ThinkerNY

If the U.S. doesn’t keep at least a few strategic bases in Iraq, this entire war will be for nothing IMO.


4 posted on 02/24/2009 1:49:10 PM PST by Carling ("We've lost two people in my family because you dickheads won't cut trees down," - Warwick Spooner)
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To: americanophile

That’s the key point.

The war was won by Bush. If W was still president, something tells me the troops would be withdrawn at roughly the same rate.

Except Bush is smart enough to make the announcement about withdrawal at a more appropriate time, not 19 months out.

What a hack amateur Obama is.


5 posted on 02/24/2009 1:50:10 PM PST by bolobaby
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Bush had his “surge.”

This is Obama’s “flush.”


6 posted on 02/24/2009 1:50:49 PM PST by EternalVigilance (Where every principled conservative belongs: http://aipnews.com/mxPage.asp?ID=3)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

I’m sure Al-Queda, Iran, Syria, and the rest of Obamas biggest fans are celebrating and planning their entry strategy back into Iraq as he pulls all the troops out. Nothing must interfer with Obama being the “duh most popular president eva!!!”


7 posted on 02/24/2009 1:51:19 PM PST by Proud_USA_Republican (Trust unto God and He shall direct your path)
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To: Carling
It really depends on if the Arab democracy experiment works. If Iraq remains a democracy, over time it will become the most stable and naturally pro-western Arab country. If that happens, and if it has a liberalizing effects on its neighbors, it will be an historic achievement of profound consequences.
8 posted on 02/24/2009 1:54:13 PM PST by americanophile
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Obama will withdraw our troops per President Bush's plan.

Had we NOT gone into Iraq...Where the hell do you think alqueda would have gone to hide, refresh themselves, and get new arms?

The idea that Saddam and Usama couldn't exist side by side IN IRAQ with the US as a common enemy is an absurdity.

9 posted on 02/24/2009 1:55:05 PM PST by Sacajaweau (I'm planting corn...Have to feed my car.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Just in time for the mid-term elections ... hmmmmm ... But will we see helocopters evacuating the last Marines from Baghdad? Will we see the green flags waving in Sadr City in “VICTORY?” It’s like 1975 all over again.


10 posted on 02/24/2009 2:00:03 PM PST by chippewaman
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To: americanophile
Not having permanent bases in Iraq is capitulation and will mean the lives lost in the war are for naught. An extreme position? Maybe, but we need a military footprint in that part of the world.
11 posted on 02/24/2009 2:00:40 PM PST by Carling ("We've lost two people in my family because you dickheads won't cut trees down," - Warwick Spooner)
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To: Carling

“If the U.S. doesn’t keep at least a few strategic bases in Iraq, this entire war will be for nothing IMO.”

Sorta like Viet-Nam......


12 posted on 02/24/2009 2:02:35 PM PST by MrLee (Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalyim!! God bless Eretz Israel.)
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To: chippewaman

Who’s going to remain to officially hand it off to Iran?


13 posted on 02/24/2009 2:03:46 PM PST by livius
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Note to terrorists and sympathizers:

Courtesy of US democrat party and mr obama:

Date but not hour of our withdrawal provided for your assistance in planning future rallies and welcome back parties for al Qaeda


14 posted on 02/24/2009 2:04:52 PM PST by silverleaf (Freedom's just another word for "nothing left to lose")
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To: americanophile

Just found out this weekend our DIL will be deploying to Iraq this summer. They will be going over to train Iraqi policemen. I hope things do not start heating up over there again in the next year. I hope the Iraqis are able to maintain their democracy.


15 posted on 02/24/2009 2:12:26 PM PST by Marmolade
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To: chippewaman

Will we see the killing fields once again?


16 posted on 02/24/2009 2:14:20 PM PST by waxer1 ( Live Free or Die; Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Most is not all. And they will have to leave behind a substantial force protection contingent to protect our diplomatic personnel and government contractors involved in aid projects. More smoke and mirrors.


17 posted on 02/24/2009 2:33:46 PM PST by kabar
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To: Free ThinkerNY

The withdrawal plan — an announcement could come as early as this week — calls for leaving a large contingent of troops behind, between 30,000 and 50,000 troops, to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to protect U.S. interests.


18 posted on 02/24/2009 2:35:09 PM PST by kabar
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To: kabar
Sort of like, say, South Korea. I'm sure we'll be able to bring those troops out of Iraq in about the same time period.

Any way you slice it, the Iraqis are more and more capable of running their own country every day. It won't be Jeffersonian republic, but it won't be an al-qa'ida stronghold or Iranian client either. It'll be just another unpleasent country you wouldn't want to visit or live in, but is otherwise not a threat to the U.S.

At this point, that's probably the best we can hope for, and not the worst of possible outcomes at all.

19 posted on 02/24/2009 2:50:56 PM PST by Steel Wolf (Oh, well. Back to the drawing board....)
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To: Steel Wolf

Agreed. I just find the MSM contortions to support Obama, i.e., he kept his campaign promise, ridiculous. And the Left will have no problem with the fact that we will probably have 30,000 to 50,000 troops in Iraq during Obama’s entire first term.


20 posted on 02/24/2009 3:39:12 PM PST by kabar
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