Want troops out of Iraq? Watch out what you wish for...

[politicaholic]

General George Casey says he'd like to see the beginning of a major troop with drawl in Iraq by spring!(1) SPRING!!! :woohoo:

If it's true, this spring Americans will rejoice in the media reports on television showing troops being reunited tearfully with their loved ones.

There are clear reports(2) that the insurgency isn't letting up, that the Iraqi armed forces are hastily trained at best, and also inadvertently recruiting people within the enemy ranks. What does this mean? Weakness. Known and uncalculable weakness in domestic Iraqi defense.

It also means opportunity.

Iran may (by winter 2006) take this opportunity to derail Iraq's new government in its weakened and infiltrated state. This escalated situation would give the Bush administration just the war they want. A full region wide conflict that would change the face of the middle east in our modern age.

A war the UN would be unable to avoid. A justification war. A draft-able war. A brutal and bloody mandate of the Bush administration. A George W. Bush glorification war that would stamp his name in the annals of history while devastating a whole generation.

I hope this isn't a calculated move on the Pentagon's part. I hope my wish for peace doesn't merely amount to shining a lantern.


(1)http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/07/27/iraq.main/index.html
(2)http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=246400&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/

[A-Schwarzenegger]

1. Note all the "if's" in that withdrawal statement...

[tocqueville]

2. it's not in Iran's interest to derail anything

they are too smart for that

why derail something which is already derailing itself ?

[judy]

3. Good point, tocqueville...

I agree

[K-W]

4. Dont worry, they have no intention of withdrawing.

They will do a cosmetic reduction before the elections at best.

[truebrit71]

5. Bingo!!! This is purely a political move so they don't get slaughtered...

...in the 06 elections.....They can claim that the troop withdrawals have already begun and that the Dems are simply fear-mongering again...

[w8liftinglady]

8. That's exactly what I thought when I heard this

...there are so many conditons...if the insurgents decrease and if the iraqi military is up to snuff...hell,we will never be out of there

[moodforaday]

9. No, the ifs make some sense

if you're willing to give them some credit, which I know is asking a lot by this time. They're not 'negotiating with terrorists", right? But they are! They're implicitly saying to the insurgents - back down, and we'll pull out. This seems to make sense to me.

The worry is, as the OP suggests, where those troops are going to go next.

[damntexdem]

6. If they are withdrawn soon, that will be good.

Spring isn't soon enough.

The aftermath in Iraq will be terrible, and will continue to make it clear what a disaster Dubya's invasion was.

If there is an effort to send troops to invade Iran, we will oppose that. It's certainly not worth keeping them in Iraq just to keep them out of Iran.

[Disturbed]

7. If all U.S. Troops and their Allies withdrew...

how much of an Insurgency would there be? How many in the Insurgency are fighting against the U.S. Occupation? I don't think anyone knows. I doubt that all troops would withdraw. Around 60K would stay and hunker down on their bases. The less U.S. casualties, the less grumbling from Amerikans. Iraqi casualties don't mean much to most Amerikans. It seems that this is a ploy by the Bush Regime to deflect Amerikan public opposition to the War on Iraq.

Now the Bush Regime is cleverly changing the slogan of "War On Terror" to "The struggle against violent Extremists" taking the word War out to wipe out the perception of War. No war. No War Crimes. No protest against War.
The Rethugs are clever, eh?