NYT: U.S. Considers Raising Troop Levels in Iraq

[sabra]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/21/world/middleeast/21troops.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

U.S. Considers Raising Troop Levels in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 — Pentagon officials conducting a review of Iraq strategy are considering a substantial but temporary increase in American troop levels and the addition of several thousand more trainers to work with Iraqi forces, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.

The idea, dubbed the “surge option” by some officials, would involve increasing American forces by 20,000 troops or more for several months in the hope of improving security, especially in Baghdad. That would mark a sharp rise over the current baseline of 144,000 troops.

...

“There are people who believe that a short-term surge would have a beneficial impact, but there isn’t universal agreement on that yet,” said the senior official, who said that President Bush was scheduled to be briefed in the next several weeks on the developing options, which were first reported Monday in The Washington Post.

...

Some Pentagon officials took issue Monday with the idea that the relatively low-ranking group composed largely of colonels would be drafting options for switching course in Iraq. A Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, said the group was not charged with developing formal recommendations but rather with giving its views to other members of the Joint Staff.

[NewJeffCT]

1. Sending more troops to Baghdad these past few months...

When we "redeployed" troops from other parts of Iraq into Baghad has really done wonders for the situation in Baghdad, and the rest of Iraq. The extra soldiers seem just so bored that the lines at Club Med-Baghdad are out the door & around the corner.

[tabasco]

2. The robber barons will hold onto Iraq as long as possible.

It is their goose that lays golden eggs !

Expect Bush to increase troop levels as much as he can by the end of his term, and fight troop reductions. This is not "being strong in the war on terror." It IS murdering our brothers and sisters for corporate profits. They want to get us in as deep as possible while Bush, their stuffed shirt, still occupies the pResidency.

[Dhalgren]

3. The Pentagon is a complete waste. I am convinced that every

officer who is too incompetent to function in the "real" military is sent to the Pentagon to chase dust-bunnies. How do you get US casualties to increase in the short-term? Sent more troops and station them in Baghdad. What fucking excellent decision-making do we have going on in our military! Hey, if we add troops now we can "reduce" the number later and say we are reducing the number! The American people are so stupid and inattentive that they will buy it! Jesus...just fucking Jesus...

[NJCher]

4. well, well

This is the truth about our "democracy." We overturn the warmongering republicans because we want out of this freaking boondoggle disaster and their response is to increase the level of troops.




Cher

[Skink]

5. What better staging ground to attack Iran.

we've got the bases we need now. The neocons couldn't be happier.