Pentagon moves to buttress U.S. troop levels in Iraq

[Barrett808]

Pentagon moves to buttress U.S. troop levels in Iraq
By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military is delaying the departure of thousands of soldiers from Iraq while speeding the arrival of thousands more as a way to keep more troops on the ground to handle unrelenting violence, U.S. officials said on Monday.

The United States, in a bid to stem a rise in sectarian violence between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims that has heightened concern over civil war, has increased its troop count in the past two months to the current level of 142,000.

A brigade of roughly 3,800 soldiers from the Army's 1st Armored Division, based in Germany, that was due to have left Iraq in January is being held in place for a little under two months, said defense officials who asked not to be named because the decision has not been formally announced.

These soldiers, serving in the volatile Ramadi area, are now set to serve roughly 13 months in Iraq, longer than the U.S. policy of 12-month tours of duty for Army soldiers, an official said.

Meanwhile, a similarly sized Texas-based Army brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division is being sent to Iraq about a month earlier than previously scheduled, and should be leaving in October, an official said.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061012/pl_nm/iraq_usa_troops_dc

[sweetheart]

1. "Foley moves to buttress pages in congress"

The republicans are dancing stateside in simultanaety.

[Megahurtz]

3. Lol! n/t

[peacebird]

2. trying to keep "Saigon" from falling before 2 November. After the election

the people in Emerald City better be packed and ready to try to grab onto the helo as it scurries away......

[rodeodance]

4. all in the hopes of 'maintaining the chaos" till Nov 7.

[rodeodance]

5. Dems need to make this a LOUD issue NOW>

[saigon68]

6. "BRING EM ON" shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

[MadMaddie]

7. So are they rushing the kids through bootcamp to get them in

to action....didn't the do this during Vietnam and wasn't it a debacle?

<snip>
while speeding the arrival of thousands more
<ssnip>

[Amonester]

8. But do not worry...

Last time we heard, they were on their last throes.

Right?

Iraq insurgency in 'last throes,' Cheney says
Monday, June 20, 2005
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/30/cheney.iraq/


:sarcsmess:

[LynnTheDem]

9. Stalingrad.

General William Odom, former head of the National Security Agency:

"Right now, the course we're on, we're achieving Bin Laden's ends…. I've never seen it so bad between the office of the secretary of defense and the military. There's a significant majority believing this is a disaster.

The two parties whose interests have been advanced have been the Iranians and al-Qaeda.

Bin Laden could argue with some cogency that our going into Iraq was the equivalent of the Germans in Stalingrad. They defeated themselves by pouring more in there. Tragic."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/091704Y.shtml


For a politician's pack of lies, it's beyond tragic.

[NOLADEM]

10. Oh, SO WE ARE INCREASING TROOP LEVELS !!!

Why didn't you just say so, Mr. Bush?

Increasing troop levels at this stage of the game sure does mean we are winning, right?