US braced for bloody pull-out

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2159377.ece

AT THE Army College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Major Daniel Morgan is studying the lessons for Iraq of the Soviets’ chaotic exit from Afghanistan in the late 1980s. The roads were choked with tanks and heavy weaponry, making the demoralised soldiers easy prey for guerillas.

“The Soviet Army actually had to fight out of certain areas,” said Morgan, who has served twice in Iraq.

There is no easy exit from Iraq, but defence secretary Robert Gates has admitted for the first time that the Pentagon is poring over the options. Under pressure from Hillary Clinton, the senator for New York, defence officials are to give a “closed door” briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week about US troop withdrawals.

“You may rest assured,” Gates wrote to Clinton, “that such planning is indeed taking place with my active involvement.”

The Soviet rout from Afghanistan is one of the worst-case scenarios that a rapid withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq could provoke. “They had to airlift out of Kandahar, the fighting was so bad,” Morgan recalled. Another nightmare image remains familiar decades on - the helicopters taking off from the roof of the US embassy in Saigon, leaving desperate Vietnamese allies to their fate.

[partylessinOhio]

1. The politicians knew this going in - - - and yet they gave the Chimp

unlimited war powers. For shame!

There is no end to the suffering the Iraqi people will have to endure at the hands of this madman.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. Remember - Most Democrats Voted Against It

The rest have no excuse.

[Jillian]

2. They are seriously looking at Biden's plan for withdrawal

Since Iraqi's are already dividing themselves up by secular groups.

There is no easy exit. I just don't want us to ever have to go back.

[enid602]

3. Iraq

I think it's sort of expected that occupying armies are given a free pass out of the occupied country. So many of the traditional warfare mores have gone by the wayside lately; retreat from Iraq might well be dicey. Lots of materiel that they might want, as well.

[NNN0LHI]

5. If we hadn't tortured, sexually humiliated, and killed Iraqis by the hundreds of thousands maybe...

...we would have been given a free pass out?

I hope we learn something from this.

Don

[enid602]

6. I hope so, too.

I just hope we can get the troops out safely.

[liberal renegade]

9. Politicians love war

that's what i've learned

[billyoc]

4. Relax, boys, we'll all be dead and gone long before it happens. n/t

[MannyGoldstein]

7. Phased Withdrawal My Ass

It's going to be a helluva mess.

There are a lot of angry people with weapons and lots and lots of explosives. When we go, we'll need to go quick.

[NNN0LHI]

10. Its going to sound and look like the finale at a 4th of July fireworks extravaganza n/t

[EFerrari]

11. Everything these criminals do winds up being a mess.

:(

[rzemanfl]

12. * will put squadrons of B-52s over Baghdad 24/7 and carpet

bomb the city if our withdrawing troops are attacked. It's his style.

[Bryn]

13. So much for "Shock and Awe"

x(