US plans last big push in Iraq (20,000 extra troops)

[muriel_volestrangler]

President George Bush has told senior advisers that the US and its allies must make "a last big push" to win the war in Iraq and that instead of beginning a troop withdrawal next year, he may increase US forces by up to 20,000 soldiers, according to sources familiar with the administration's internal deliberations.

Mr Bush's refusal to give ground, coming in the teeth of growing calls in the US and Britain for a radical rethink or a swift exit, is having a decisive impact on the policy review being conducted by the Iraq Study Group chaired by Bush family loyalist James Baker, the sources said.

Although the panel's work is not complete, its recommendations are expected to be built around a four-point "victory strategy" developed by Pentagon officials advising the group. The strategy, along with other related proposals, is being circulated in draft form and has been discussed in separate closed sessions with Mr Baker and the vice-president Dick Cheney, an Iraq war hawk.

Point one of the strategy calls for an increase rather than a decrease in overall US force levels inside Iraq, possibly by as many as 20,000 soldiers. This figure is far fewer than that called for by the Republican presidential hopeful, John McCain. But by raising troop levels, Mr Bush will draw a line in the sand and defy Democratic pressure for a swift drawdown.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1948748,00.html

I don't see that another 20,000 troops, if the US military can provide them, will make enough difference - they might be able to quieten down one part of Iraq, but the overall effect will just be to increase anti-occupier feeling.

[lovuian]

1. This is getting ready for war with Iran if they still stay the course

cause 20,000 men isn't going to solve failed policy

[Parisle]

7. I think you may be exactly right,....

----20,000 more troops ain't gonna do it,.... and we have to assume that the Bush crew already knows that. Furthermore, following up the election rebuke by introducing even MORE troops and STILL failing, will make Bush's current 31% approval look astronomical,... and we have to assume they know THAT, too,.. but they're still going to do it. And why would that be? Scary.

[saigon68]

53. It's the "Last Big Push"

LOL

[PurityOfEssence]

55. Sort of like Cornwallis

Having just a passing knowledge of history is extremely depressing these days...

[saigon68]

57. Yes so true -------HISTORY----Those who ignore it

Are doomed to repeat it

[LynnTheDem]

2. 6 in 10 Iraqis will be pleased.

Coz 6 in 10 Iraqis see US troops as legitimate targets.

More targets.

Way to go, bush. Stay the course in being stupid.

[NOLADEM]

3. ONLY if they are ALL volunteers and Young Republicans

If you want to give one last push before you give up on this lost cause, make sure you are only killing those Americans who want to die for this lost cause.

Let the rest come home to their families or head to find Bin Laden. Remember him?

[tabasco]

56. And end the stop-loss !!

There are still thousands of troops that the military WON'T LET OUT !

Stop the stop-loss and that will make even more room for the young Delays and Gingrichs! :think:

Combat units are desperate for personnel. Many infantry companies are little more than two platoons.

"A recent Pentagon report written for the Department of Defense by Andrew Krepinevich, a former military officer, said stop-loss was a "short-term fix" enabling the Army to meet deployment requirements, but that such policies "risk breaking the force as recruitment and retention problems mount."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0131/dailyUpdate.html

[leftchick]

4. more meat for the grinder

:puke:

[sweetheart]

5. impeach the fucker

he doesn't get it, he'll be lucky to avoid the gallows as it stands. A desperate attempt
to reinvigorate his war powers is exactly that. Impeach the evil shit where he stands.

[mike_c]

6. time to go to The Hague, George-- I will personally buy your ticket....

BTW, what does "winning the war in Iraq" mean, exactly?

[Joe for Clark]

8. I have been watching for days for this - thank you.

I have been getting sick to my stomache looking. I knew the mail cut-off was the 15th.

If you had a kid in 2 div - you knew this on 11/6 - you got an email. I read it and I threw up. It upset me more than anything I ever thought could upset me.

You had to shut up though - they did a good job warning you to shut up - and if you thought you knew better - you better shut up anyway. I was not that good at being quiet, I have to admit - not from that and I read many things that were upsetting these past few years.

We have better than a full division about to come down in Baghdad. And those people intend to protect their honor.

Third battle of Baghdad - like a train wreck coming - can't be stopped.

Joe

[NoBushSpokenHere]

22. Joe you and your son (along with the rest) are in our

thoughts and prayers. I am sure it has been extremely difficult for you to be going through. Know that you have many friends here that care. I wish there was more we can do, and wish that we had been able to have done something in 2000, so that the whole war could have been avoided.

Peace and hugs

[sandnsea]

30. Oh my god Joe

I am so so so sorry. What a horrible thing to have to bear. I swear I don't know how you do it. I worry myself sick when my kids drive across the state, let alone go to a war zone. They're treating our troops like gameboard pieces. :cry:

[freefall]

9. He knows he has Lieberman in his pocket as far as the occupation is

concerned and he is going to do anything he damn well pleases just as he always has. The Hague is too good for him; they don't have torture there.

Peace

freefall

[lapfog_1]

10. Nationwide, are there 20,000 college republicans that we can

volunteer for the effort? Just wondering.

[Imagevision]

11. "a last big push" --> to stop ied's - suicide bombers? -. After 20,000 he'll escalate even more

This is Bush's Viet Nam, the only difference is it's about oil and Bush & Cheney, first & foremost are oilmen. Quoting the generals on CSPAN today; "it could last 4-6 more months' -- "it will last another 12- 18 months" - well! just in time for the next election dispute!

[kenny blankenship]

12. If true, this would confirm the prediction that Bush will force Hill Democrats

to either openly oppose him and the war (and I mean oppose the war, visibly pulling the plug on it, without resort to coy euphemisms like "phased withdrawal") or they can salute and send him the money, just like their predecessors did.
To stop the escalation the Democrats will need to either defund the war and call it to a crashing halt, or impeach Bush.

[humbled_opinion]

14. I think that is it exactly.

1. If the Democrats approve of the money for this bigger lie they are fools.
2. Standing up to Bush by disapproving funding, cancelling all existing funding and force him to withdraw is the only solution.
3. My fear is that #2 will be met with such a rethug spin machine to make Democrats assume any and all responsibility for anything that goes wrong after the witdraw i.e., slaughtering full scale civil war hundreds of thousands dead (in weeks not years) full collapse of the country and Iranian assumption of political and oil control.

We must stand by our leaders when they make the difficult decisions.

[mom cat]

47. Which is why impeachment is the strategy that will work.

[saigon68]

52. With Dinos like Limpmann in charge THEY WILL MERELY

Lick the Chimpanzee's hand and PAY UP

[Strelnikov_]

19. You Address What I Have Been Worrying About

Chimp asks for more resources, Dems deny, Reich Wing blames Dems for the 'loss'.

Corporate media programmed sheeple will never see it for the no-win situation the Reich-Wing are responsible for.

Oh, well.


Actually, my biggest worry is Chimp blundering into a situation where we HAVE to increase the size of the military in a hurry, thus laying a Draft turd on the Dem legislative branch.

[No Exit]

43. Kucinich (God bless him) says defund it, but the Israel-first wing of

each party wants our troops to stay in Iraq, at least for now.

It's very discouraging. Because we know who always gets their way.

[leQ]

13. this will do nothing towards the goal of peace. this is only adding fuel to the fire

and i'm sad to say, it'll not provide the accomplishments we would expect from injecting that many troops into a guerilla zone. this isn't some border war.

i don't have a plan for iran. nobody does. and that's the problem.

i'd sure like to hear from DU'ers on this... what would you suggest we do?
me? i'd say we pull out. in a big way. as i heard on nbc nightly news tonite, we can not defend iraqis from themselves.

if we pulled out, all that crap the admistration would have you believe would happen, well, i jus can't remember the last time their predictions came out the way they said it would.

[The Wizard]

44. Just spoke to some Iraq vets

Their take is that we get out now or kill every Iraqi and then get out.
Since the Bush policy has alienated the rest of the world, let's get out now and hope the rest of the world steps into the breech, and give us the bill for damages. To pay that bill we will have to bankrupt the Bush/Cheney war profiteers and seize all assets illegally gained by the Bush/Cheney junta, the compound in Paraguay included.

[Drum]

15. From bullet-fodder to cannon-fodder....nt

[Strelnikov_]

16. Agree. They Need Like 200,000+ More To Have A Chance Defusing

the situation, and a slight chance at that.

All 20,000 more will provide is 20,000 more playing Mesopotamian whack-a-mole.

[TheBaldyMan]

42. I'd say 750,000+ just for Iraq, Bush hasn't got a clue n/t

[LiviaOlivia]

17. This is obscene

How many more die because of Bush's vanity.

To Junior,

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

[OhioChick]

18. Bad Idea. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

20. Ahhh, a new version of the Battle of the Bulge

One last, desperate thrust to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. 20,000 more troops are not enough to police Baghdad, much less to win anything.

[daleo]

21. One last big push

A beloved tactic in WWI.

[buddysmellgood]

23. Didn't everyone come to the conclusion that this couldn't be won through war? It has to be a

diplomatic answer. This is going to get very, very much more ugly.

[sutz12]

24. History agrees with you.

The record of conventional forces against a determined insurgency throughout history is very poor. Check that, it is positively shitty.

And every idealogue goes into the next one thinking, "God is on my side, this time will be different." At least those with some inkling of knowledge about history to begin with, which Dubye decidedly does not.

John Kerry said it best. "How do you ask someone to be the last one to die for a mistake?"

[Recursion]

25. GOD DAMN IT IN OR OUT!!!

We need a half million troops there or none.

There's no middle ground. I'm sick of this crap. I prefer none, but if we're going to do this, this half-assed shit is just killing more people. Either put 500,000 rifles on the ground or none.

[babylonsister]

27. None it is. We don't have that many troops. A draft won't fly in the

US now, I pray.

[grytpype]

46. Yep. n/t

[Az_lefty]

26. oh not this "last big push" crap again.

I heard this when I was in Iraq and guess what? It never ended! There was no last big push only escalation.

[Leopolds Ghost]

29. When did you get back from Iraq? Were you in a lot of danger?

Hope you're not eligible to be recalled there.

[aaronbees]

28. Still playing politics and warmongering with the lives ....

of Americans and Iraqis. How's about Dems draw a line in the sand and try to stop war funding? Sounds like a start to me. You know when we're losing hopelessly and this is billed as a "last big push" that it's really all bullshit propaganda. Sick.

[grytpype]

31. Guardian Unlimited: US plans last big push in Iraq

Holy moley, folks. Bush wants to escalate the war. The Baker Commission has been told to recommend One Last Push. And the Democrats can't stop him.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1948748,00.html

US plans last big push in Iraq


Strategy document calls for extra 20,000 troops, aid for Iraqi army and regional summit

Simon Tisdall
Thursday November 16, 2006
The Guardian


President George Bush has told senior advisers that the US and its allies must make "a last big push" to win the war in Iraq and that instead of beginning a troop withdrawal next year, he may increase US forces by up to 20,000 soldiers, according to sources familiar with the administration's internal deliberations.

Mr Bush's refusal to give ground, coming in the teeth of growing calls in the US and Britain for a radical rethink or a swift exit, is having a decisive impact on the policy review being conducted by the Iraq Study Group chaired by Bush family loyalist James Baker, the sources said.

Although the panel's work is not complete, its recommendations are expected to be built around a four-point "victory strategy" developed by Pentagon officials advising the group. The strategy, along with other related proposals, is being circulated in draft form and has been discussed in separate closed sessions with Mr Baker and the vice-president Dick Cheney, an Iraq war hawk.

Point one of the strategy calls for an increase rather than a decrease in overall US force levels inside Iraq, possibly by as many as 20,000 soldiers. This figure is far fewer than that called for by the Republican presidential hopeful, John McCain. But by raising troop levels, Mr Bush will draw a line in the sand and defy Democratic pressure for a swift drawdown.

...

"You've got to remember, whatever the Democrats say, it's Bush still calling the shots. He believes it's a matter of political will. That's what Kissinger told him. And he's going to stick with it," a former senior administration official said. "He is in a state of denial about Iraq. Nobody else is any more. But he is. But he knows he's got less than a year, maybe six months, to make it work. If it fails, I expect the withdrawal process to begin next fall."

The "last push" strategy is also intended to give Mr Bush and the Republicans "political time and space" to recover from their election drubbing and prepare for the 2008 presidential campaign, the official said. "The Iraq Study Group buys time for the president to have one last go. If the Democrats are smart, they'll play along, and I think they will. But forget about bipartisanship. It's all about who's going to be in best shape to win the White House.

The official added: "Bush has said 'no' to withdrawal, so what else do you have? The Baker report will be a set of ideas, more realistic than in the past, that can be used as political tools. What they're going to say is: lower the goals, forget about the democracy crap, put more resources in, do it."

...

(sorry that's a lot to quote, but this is a super super important article)

[stopbush]

32. As the draft dodger sends hundreds more American soldiers to their deaths

laughing all the way to the bank and day dreaming of his retirement in Paraguay.

The troops are nothing but chattle. The Iraqis are a bunch of gooks whose lives are worth less than those
of Americans.

bush's legacy on display for all to see.

[StrictlyRockers]

33. Earth to George, this is Houston calling. Do you read?

We have you on radar, but we still can't tell what planet you are on.

[grytpype]

34. "If Democrats are smart, they'll play along."

I agree. Let Bush have his last push. Twenty thousand soldiers won't make bit of difference. Two hundred thousand might, but that's not what he's asking for. He's asking for 20,000 more soldiers and six months. I say give it to him. We'll be seeing him resign at the end of those six months.

[Botany]

37. No one of my friend's son is in the 101 @ Ft. Benning ....

.... and he would be one of the ones going.

This has disaster written all over it.

[mom cat]

49. This could affect my nephew too. I am personally sick of people suggesting

that we just let Bush have his way. 700,000 Iraquis are now dead because of Bush's illegal war. The argument that the Dems should let Bush have his way so they do not get tarred with accusations is a failed strategy that has enabled Bush to utterly destroy two countries and has resulted in the utter destruction of two countries and the murder of 700,000 innocent people. We must stand up against the bully instead of cowering. Bush is calling bor a meat grinder blood bath. If we just knuckle under, the upcoming slaughter is our fault too.

[windbreeze]

51. Give him shit...

I would not want my son/husband/daughter/wife or any loved one of mine being forced into a last big "fucking failure" of a fight...IF that man has NOT realized by now...that it will take a good million man army to secure that country..IF it could even be done with that many...then he needs his damned head examined RIGHT FUCKING NOW...

PLAY along with him??? WITH WHO'S KIDS???? With WHO'S LIVES??? sorry, yes, I am yelling..just to have the satisfaction of seeing him resign at the end of six months, or so we can have the satisfaction of pointing our fingers at him and saying neener, neener...we told you so??...I THINK NOT!! that particular cup of satisfaction would be quite bitter...

but you know what...We DEMS don't take control of Congress until....JANUARY....So IF this has been planned for months...it didn't matter who was elected...* was going to have his way...and there isn't a thing we can do to stop him until January....when we become the majority, and they fall into the minority...so don't be surprised by anything that happens, between now and then...
windbreeze

ps: as some say...war is a rich man's game and a poor man's fight...

[tularetom]

35. Flipping off the Amurkin people ain't gonna help him

when the hearings start. Enough repugs got the message from their voters as far as what would be expected re: Iraq. When the casualty rates keep climbing the Baker report won't be thick enough to cover his boney little ass. He's lost it. Completely. And those around him don't have the balls to tell him. And the MSM doesn't have the balls to tell us.

[tritsofme]

36. Bush's Tet Offensive? nt

[wtmusic]

38. Why, that's almost as idiotic as "Shock and Awe"

"Operation Limp Penis" has been reportedly ruled out as a name

[Doctor_J]

48. Using the war and American lves as political props. Again.

What a despicable piece of shit he is.

[truthisfreedom]

39. If george bush would have had the country's best interest at heart, even if

he believed that invading Iraq was the right thing to do, he would have had an exit strategy and sent enough troops to secure the peace.

It's apparent to everyone that the entire war, which we predicted here at DU for years would be a total debacle, hase been nothing but bad news and has hurt us in every way imaginable. A half-hearted attempt to add, once again, not enough troops to secure the peace, is nothing more than another idiotic move to pretend he knows what he's doing.

EVERYONE realizes, but bush, that there are two things we can do in Iraq. We can double or triple the number of people on the ground there to try to secure the peace, or we can cut our losses and let someone else get involved in trying to calm the country down. I prefer the latter, and always have.

[cui bono]

40. What an idiotic idea. He's just rebelling against his new "parents".

[annabanana]

41. damn..

Can we get any media out ahead of this? It sounds imminent.

[jazzjunkysue]

45. Addicts always say: "Just one more fix."

[Javaman]

50. What exactly will we be winning????

:shrug:

[Massachusetts]

54. Make my day...Georgie makes his day

"I know what you're thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya punk?"
-Sudden Impact


Georgie lives his dream.