Petraeus will call for troop reductions

[jefferson_dem]

...

The top military general in Iraq hinted to ABC's Martha Raddatz that next week's much-anticipated report on the status of the troop surge in Iraq would include a recommendation for troop reduction in March, if not sooner, to avoid a strain on the Army.

"The surge will run its course. There are limits to what our military can provide, so, my recommendations have to be informed by  not driven by  but they have to be informed by the strain we have put on our military services," Gen. David Petraeus said in the interview at Camp Victory in Baghdad. "That has to be a key factor in what I will recommend."

While he would not get specific about the recommendations that he gave to President Bush during a surprise visit to Iraq yesterday, when Raddatz asked if March would be the time for a drawdown to avoid further strain on the military and even longer deployments, he answered by saying, "Your calculations are about right."

A military official told ABC News that a small drawdown could begin as soon as December, with further reductions every 45 days until the troop numbers are once again down to 130,000 or more from the current 164,000 troops.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Story?id=3556742&page=1

[Nimrod2005]

1. Yes, only to go back down to the presurge levels, about 145K or so

We won't be able to secure Baghdad...

[jaxx]

2. Isn't that special?

Reductions will start when they go under the 130,000. All the bs about this is a carrot to keep troops in Iraq forever. Just one more corner to turn, just one more vote, just one more success story. Nevermind the just one more dead soldier.

[Jim__]

3. March? Gee, just another 6 months.

I think this is where I came in.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. David's shell game, but not totally unexpected.