BBC (Saturday): More US troops face Iraq call-up

[Jack Rabbit]

EDITED for typing

From the BBC Online
Dated Saturday September 27 08:25 GMT (1:25 am PDT)

More US troops face Iraq call-up]

About 15,000 US soldiers and reservists have been told to prepare for service in Iraq , as other countries hold back from pledging troops.
The announcement follows earlier statements by senior US officers this week, that National Guard and Reserve troops would be needed.
Other countries failed to respond to President George W Bush's plea for help for help in stabilising the country.
US troops come under almost daily attack.

Read more.
Calling up reserves was the bridge LBJ would not cross in Vietnam. When General Westmoreland attempted to requisition more troops after the Tet Offensive in 1968, Johnson announced his retirement and began his peace initiative.

[AP]

1. I heard Paul Krugman say that there's a rull of thumb in the military:...

out of 33 brigades, the military can only afford to have 1/3rd engaged at any one time.

He said, right now, there are 2 in Afghanistan and 16 in Iraq. He said that there are only 3 more right now that are really ready to go anywhere.

He said that this raises two issues. He says he's not sure what election-padding mischief Bush could get America into before next November (Iran, Syria aren't possible -- he said that we could perhaps re-invade Grenada). He also said that it's incredibly expensive to run a military, and what we're doing now is really expensive, and if we needed a bigger millitary, it would be extremely difficult to pay for it.

[saigon68]

2. I agree--It's going to get DRAFTY in Amerika soon.

Then we will have to choose what to do. Draft resistence or counselling is going to get a lot of people INCARATED due to the PATRIOT ACT

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST (yes I'm pissed off)

[JohnOneillsMemory]

3. LBJ's generals also wanted troops at home to deal with dissent!

Another reason LBJ was worried about sending more troops to Vietnam was that protest in the street had the admin worried about 'law and order' in the US deteriorationg to the point of needing troops in the street to quench the popular resistance to the war. Don't forget about those camps in the desert that FEMA has ready for occupancy in case The People demand the return of their government from the petro-nazis. See REX84, Reagan's 1984 empowerment of FEMA to impose military rule in the US if The People 'get unruly' in time of war.

[TahitiNut]

4. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=135192