MSNBC: Bush to deploy troops in Liberia (300 Marines)

http://www.msnbc.com/news/937616.asp?0cv=CB10

President Bush has decided to send a small number of U.S. troops into Liberia, where they could arrive as early as Wednesday as part of an international peacekeeping force, NBC News has learned.

BUSH ORDERED that a small liaison team of U.S. troops be sent into Liberia during a conference call Tuesday with the Pentagon from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, U.S. officials told NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski.

The officials said the team would work with West African peacekeepers already on the ground to assess the situation and work out the details for deployment of a larger U.S. peacekeeping force in the country, which was founded by freed American slaves more than 150 years ago. Hundreds of thousands of people in the country face hunger and disease under a hail of bullets and shrapnel.

The total U.S. presence if Bush decided to go ahead with the full deployment would remain small, at only about 300 Marines, who would assist the West African troops for 60 to 90 days, the officials said.

Please be safe, boys and girls...could be another bumpy ride.

I was just looking at a report that said 6-10 were being sent!

snip>
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Bush approved the contingent of six-10 U.S. troops Tuesday morning, at his ranch.

http://www.optonline.net/Article/Feeds?CID=channel%3D32%26article%3D8794377

It looks good, might help with focus groups, counters the bad PR from the Halliburton casualty in Iraq today.

As I was watching the news accounts earlier today talking about how different(peaceful) the situation was on the ground now that the West African forces had arrived...seemed like the opportune time for Rove to make some political hay.

I'm sure it won't dawn on any of the news agencies that perhaps a 1,000 lives could have been saved by making this move a couple of weeks earlier.

:dem:

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-liberia-usa-troops.html

Small Number of U.S. Troops Into Liberia - Officials
By REUTERS


Filed at 9:24 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is sending a small number of Marines into Liberia from ships offshore to provide logistical support for West African military peacekeepers in the civil war-torn African nation, U.S. defense officials said on Wednesday.
A ``liaison element,'' initially composed of six to 10 Marines, will be sent into the capital of Monrovia on orders from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified. They said the contingent, which could grow to up to 20 troops, will work with a multinational interim force of peacekeepers from the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS.
The troops are being sent in from a task force of about 2,300 American Marines aboard ships off the Liberian coast. <snip>

Comment - Now did anyone doubt Bush's feelings toward stopping death in Africa in Liberia?

We show the flag with "6" who no doubt, like the current 70 at the Embassy, will stay inside the Embassy as folks pile bodies up at the Embassy gate to remind us of the US special relationship with Liberia and Bush's special relationship with a non-oil producing Black country.

?

now? 5?