MORE Troops to Iraq??

Jul 16, 9:29 AM EDT

Pace: Another Troop Buildup Possible




BAGHDAD (AP) -- The U.S. military's top general said Monday that the Joint Chiefs of Staff is weighing a range of possible new directions in Iraq, including, if President Bush deems it necessary, an even bigger troop buildup.

Making no predictions, Marine Gen. Peter Pace revealed that he and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force are obliged to consider various troop-level scenarios before September, when Bush will receive an assessment of the Iraq situation from his top commander there, Gen. David Petraeus.

"We're (doing) the kind of thinking that we need to do and be prepared for whatever it's going to look like two months from now," he said in an interview with two reporters traveling overnight with him from Washington aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo jet.

"That way, if we need to plus up or come down" in numbers of troops in Iraq, then the details will have been studied and the military services will be in position to carry out whatever policy Bush chooses, Pace said.

"My assessment right now is, I need more time" to understand how the current offensive targeting al- Qaida in Iraq terrorists is working and how it could lead to political progress in the months ahead, Odierno said. "I'm seeing some progress now here in Iraq. We have really just started what the Iraqis term 'liberating' them from al Qaida. What I've got to determine is what do I need in order to continue that progress so that the political piece can then take hold and Iraqi security forces can hold this for the long term."

There are now about 158,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, reflecting a boost of approximately 30,000 to carry out the new strategy that Bush announced in January. The strategy is focused on providing better security for Iraqis in Baghdad, but the intended effect -- a political reconciliation between the Sunnis and Shiites -- has yet to be achieved, and many in Congress are clamoring to begin withdrawing troops soon.

Some on the Joint Chiefs had argued against the troop boost in January, in part out of concern that it could not be sustained long enough to have the desired effect and that it put too much strain on the military.

Pace said the chiefs intend to be ready with recommendations on that for Bush by September . . .


report: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_PACE?SITE=PASUN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

their noses at the majority of the American people, including the troops.:grr: :grr:

what a bunch

If I have to go sit on the steps of Nancy's office with a sign and make a spectacle of myself, I will. Just pretend you don't know me. :mad:

from Kos: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/7/16/154457/432


More Troops to Iraq?
by mcjoan
Mon Jul 16, 2007 at 12:46:32 PM PDT

More Troops?

Interesting timing giving the Iraq debate in Congress, al-Maliki inviting the U.S. to leave Iraq now, if we want, the Iraqi parliament's impending month-long vacation, and three quarters of the American population wan the troops to come home.

Never mind all that.

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military's top general said Monday that the Joint Chiefs of Staff is weighing a range of possible new directions in Iraq, including, if President Bush deems it necessary, an even bigger troop buildup.

Making no predictions, Marine Gen. Peter Pace revealed that he and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force are obliged to consider various troop-level scenarios before September, when Bush will receive an assessment of the Iraq situation from his top commander there, Gen. David Petraeus.


So magical September could bring us . . . another surge? Oh, but then, I'm certain, those brave Republican defectors would stand up against their president. Right? As my father always says, "There's no time like the present." No more Septembers, no more FUs.

It's time. Set a date certain and say, after that date, no more funding for Iraq.