Dempsey Would Support Keeping U.S. Troops in Iraq Past Deadline If Needed

By Brendan McGarry

May 30 (Bloomberg) -- General Martin Dempsey, President Barack Obama’s choice for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is a former commander in Iraq who said he’s willing to keep U.S. troops there past December to keep that country stable.

The president announced Dempsey’s nomination today in the White House Rose Garden, praising him for “lifetime of accomplishment.” He cited Dempsey’s promise to the troops to “provide whatever it takes to achieve our objectives in the current fight.”

The nomination came just seven weeks after Dempsey became the Chief of Staff of the Army, a post normally held for four years. When he took that post, he told reporters he would support keeping U.S. troops in Iraq past the end of the year, the current departure deadline, if Iraq’s government agreed.

“It would certainly be in our interest to see Iraq remain on its current path and become even more stable,” Dempsey told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. “As a member of the national security team, that would be my advice.”

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http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a58dvyHbeWqM&pos=9

:shrug: Money in the bank.

Not sure what the hell SS has to do with troop presence in Iraq.

People at that level don't just make random statements of their own thoughts.

Considering we have 3 different wars going on, I'm willing to bet that they talk to Obama on a daily basis.

And they both have said the same thing about continued US occupation of Iraq past the deadline. I'm not sure why this is so hard for people to grasp.

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