Gates goes to Iraq and appears to disagree with the CIC. Petraeus will say or do whatever he's told to as the number one sycophant. Obama and Hillary comment and we know McCain has noted it might end in 100 years. Make of this what you will, but it continues to be little more than an Alice In Wonderland, well oiled rabbit hole that no one has a clue
about what to do about that continues to, as it has done from "shock and awe" waste both lives and treasure.
'Pause' on U.S. troops from Iraq draws fire
by Frank James
Ever since the surge in Iraq began, national security and other experts have expressed concerns about what would happen to the security gains on the ground in the violence-stricken nature once the surge ended.
Such concerns have evidently led Defense Secretary Robert Gates to conclude it would be better to slow down, or "pause" as he put it today during a visit to Iraq, the withdrawal of the U.S. miltary's surge forces from Iraq.
Here's the top of the Associated Press's report on Gates's statement:
By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq (AP) — In a clear sign the drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq will be suspended, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday he favors taking time this summer to assess security gains before more troops leave the country, an idea President Bush is expected to support.
It was Gates' first public endorsement of a possible suspension, and it would seem to mark an end to the Pentagon chief's previously stated hope that conditions in Iraq would permit American troops to withdraw in the second half of this year as rapidly as they are leaving now.
"A brief period of consolidation and evaluation probably does make sense," Gates told reporters during a short stop at this U.S. base in southern Baghdad. He had just finished private meetings with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and the No. 2 commander, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno.
Gates did not say how long the pause might last, noting that it ultimately would be a decision for the president.
In separate remarks, Gates described al-Qaida in Iraq, the insurgent group that U.S. officials say is led by a small number of foreign fighters with links to Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, as having been "routed." That is an unusually strong characterization by Gates of the damage done to al-Qaida, which has been largely pushed out of Baghdad but is still seen by U.S. commanders as a serious threat.
Petraeus and Odierno both have said publicly in recent weeks that they would like to see a "period of assessment" after July in order to get a clearer indication of how troop cuts by then are working. Neither has said for how long.
The logic of a pause, perhaps through September and possibly longer, rests on the fact that the current schedule for troop reductions through July leaves open the possibility that as the Americans leave in increasingly big numbers, security gains — described by Gates Monday as "fragile" — may be eroded or lost...
Gates's comments elicited this response from Sen. Barack Obama's campaign:
"I strongly disagree with the Administration's plans to "pause" the long overdue removal of our combat brigades from Iraq. We cannot wage war without end in Iraq while ignoring mounting costs to our troops and their families, our security and our economy. While the Administration puts our drawdown on permanent pause, bin Laden is on the loose, Afghanistan is sliding toward chaos, and we're spending billions of dollars a week in Baghdad instead of helping Americans who are struggling here at home. Our military leaders are concerned that Iraq is setting back our ability to respond to other priorities, and a Blue Ribbon Panel warned late last month that our National Guard is short of the equipment it needs to address crises at home. Instead of false promises and a faulty strategy, the American people need a rapid and responsible removal of our combat brigades that relieves the burden on our military, pressures the Iraqis to reconcile, and allows us to finally focus on the priorities that George Bush has neglected."
And here's Sen. Hillary Clinton's criticism of Gates's remarks:
“I want to say one other thing, and that is, I was very disheartened to hear Secretary Gates, as reported today, suggest that the withdrawal of our troops from Iraq would not continue at the pace that had been expected.
“This means that we will have as many troops in Iraq in the summer of 2008 as we had at the beginning of 2007. I continue to call on the President to end the war he started, to take responsibly for bringing our young men and women home. I have said repeatedly that there is no military solution, and it's time for the American military to be relieved from the responsibility of refereeing the Iraqi Civil War. It is clear that in the absence of a military solution, which I think this announcement today obviously confirms, the Iraqi government will not take the steps that were expected and even demanded.
“The whole idea behind this so-called surge was to give the Iraqi government the space and time to make the tough decisions that only they can make for themselves and the future of their country. So I will continue to press hard, both in the Congress and on the campaign trail for this President to end this war before he leaves office.
“If that doesn’t happen, then I will immediately, upon taking office, implement the plan that I have put forth to be able to start withdrawing our troops within 60 days, and make it very clear to the Iraqi government that they do not have a blank check. They have to begin to make the decisions that only they can make.”
Posted by Frank James on February 11, 2008 2:10 PM | Permalink
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/idea_of_pause_on_us_troops_fro.html
