Reply #5: wonder who picked the 15 "odinary soldiers"? [View All]

[maddezmom]

SOLDIERS' VIEWS

While unscientific and perhaps not representative of troops' thoughts overall, the soldiers' views are among those Gates is weighing as he drafts recommendations for Bush.

Gates has given little indication of what strategies he will recommend to the president after returning from Iraq.

But he is openly discussing the possibility of a short-term increase, or "surge," in U.S. troops to gain control over security in Baghdad, where sectarian killings and kidnappings terrorize the civilian population daily.

Gates' one-hour breakfast with the 15 ordinary soldiers, none of whom were officers, was largely a question-and-answer session, with the defense secretary asking the majority of questions and seeking advice on troop levels, a timeline for training Iraqis, sectarian leanings within the Iraqi security forces and the "caliber and discipline" of both Iraqi soldiers and their military leaders.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/21/AR2006122100149.html