Obama Calls U.S. Troop Boost in Iraq 'New Phase'

[cali]

President Barack Obama said his decision to double the number of U.S. military advisers in Iraq marked a new phase in the campaign against Islamic State and was not an indication his strategy in the region had failed.

Obama, in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" broadcast on Sunday, said the first phase was getting an Iraqi government in place that was inclusive and credible.

He said sending in 1,500 additional American troops also signified a shift from a defensive strategy to an offensive one. The decision was announced on Friday.

<snip>

The U.S. president did not rule out sending more troops back to the region. "You know, as commander in chief I'm never going to say never," he told CBS.

<snip>

http://www.newsweek.com/obama-calls-us-troop-boost-iraq-new-phase-cbs-interview-283266

[morningfog]

1. I wonder how many proudly supporting Obama's initial order of 300 are still cheering at 3,000.

And if they will still be cheering at 30,000 (whether than is by Obama's order or the next president's).

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Oh joy! Another PR war to show we're "tough".

How close are we to color coded "alerts" and "Bring it on"?