Gates, Pace Say U.S. Troops Won't Enter Iran or Syria

[sabra]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZSDxoH3ye7U&refer=home

Gates, Pace Say U.S. Troops Won't Enter Iran or Syria (Update1)

Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- American troops seeking to counter Iranian and Syrian aid to violent forces in Iraq won't cross the border into those countries, top Defense Department officials told lawmakers.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace said U.S. forces will stay inside Iraq as they seek to root out Iranian arms supplies to Iraqi insurgents and militias.

``From a military standpoint, no need to cross the Iranian border,'' Pace said during testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington. He said U.S. forces in Iraq are capable of tracking down ``the networks in Iraq, regardless of where they're coming from, that have been providing tools to kill our troops.''

...

Gates said today that he believed Bush's comment in his speech referred ``strictly to operations inside the territory of Iraq, not crossing the borders.''

[Lerkfish]

1. which, of course, means that's exactly what they will do.

crossing of borders to begin immediately.

[wakeme2008]

2. I hate to nit pik but he did not say anything about planes and bombing Iran

just the "troops" will not cross the border....

[jpak]

5. or unmanned Predators armed with Hellfire missiles

or MLRS and tube artillery rounds...

or Tomahawk cruise missiles...

[rodeodance]

11. that is what i was thinking

[leftchick]

14. bingo

not a word about air assaults. :(

[Toots]

72. Are Air Force not considered troops?

How about Navy? Are they troops or are troops only Army and National Guard?

[hippiechick]

3. 'cause we're already there!

:mad: LIARS!

[Jack Rabbit]

4. So what do Gates and Pace call "raiding" the Iranian consulate in Arbil?

That's sovereign Iranian territory, chumps.

[54anickel]

6. From what I've read, it wasn't a consulate - yet. I know that's splitting hairs,

but that tends to be the MO of this mal-administration.

I wonder if Gates will "defy" a direct order from the "commander-in-chief"?

[maddezmom]

7. sure, just like they weren't in Somalia

:eyes:

[Kelvin Mace]

8. No, we'll just

shell them from Iraq, and from the sea and bomb them from the air.

[Kikosexy2]

9. And..

all that military build up around the region and now in Turkey is for what again?....they really think we're that stupid or blind....

[daleo]

10. Now that they have said this

...well, you know.

[Coventina]

12. Or Cambodia......

:eyes:

[MessiahRp]

13. Oops... too late....

Maybe they mean from this point on... :eyes:

Fucking liars.

Rp

[anotherdrew]

15. well, their lips are moving so...

here we go

[Nihil]

16. "US Troops" wont but "US Special Forces" are different ...

I'd trust that bastard far less than I could throw him.

[jwirr]

17. Why exactly do Gates and Pace think we would trust them now

that they are part of *ss and co.?

[HuffleClaw]

18. more weasel words

predator attack drones and cruise missiles aren't 'troops'.

[journalist3072]

19. Administration: No plan to strike Iran

(Notice they are saying no IMMEDIATE strike on Iran, and how Peter Pace is trying to link them to what's going on in Iraq.)


Administration: No plan to strike Iran

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
45 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - U.S. officials said Friday there was no immediate plan to strike targets in Iran, but they also wouldn't rule out military action.


Their comments came after President Bush vowed in a prime-time address to the nation to go after Iranian terrorist networks feeding the insurgency in Iraq.


-snip-

Pace said special operations forces are continually battling insurgents who are getting aid from Iran.

"I think one of the reasons you keep hearing about Iran is because we keep finding their stuff in Iraq," Pace said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070113/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iran

[MadMaddie]

20. Seems we have heard this story before...

[journalist3072]

23. "If we go into battle, as a last resort..."

You are dead on when you say we've heard this before. This is what he said when he signed the IWR:

"Like the members of Congress here today, I've carefully weighed the human cost of every option before us. If we go into battle, as a last resort, we will confront an enemy capable of irrational miscalculations, capable of terrible deeds."

[IndianaGreen]

26. This is like watching the remake of an old movie, same plot, different actors

Our government has never told the truth about anything!

[grytpype]

43. Yep. Sounds a bit familiar.

"The president doesn't have any war plans on his desk."

[CrazyOrangeCat]

21. Bush will strike Iran.

He has positioned the fleet so that it will get fired on. Either real or false-flag.

He won't have to strike first. But he'll strike . . .

[krispos42]

22. Translation:

We will strike Iran, just without a plan.

Par, again, for the course.

"My fellow Americans, I don't think anybody anticipated the Iranians mining the Straight of Hormuz and causing oil to rise to $175 per barrel after we dropped tactical nukes on Iran."

[and-justice-for-all]

24. Will they ever stop LYING! nt

[Webster Green]

25. Oh shit!

Not good.

[AndyTiedye]

27. "There Are No Plans On My Desk To Strike…"

Iraqn.

[TheDebbieDee]

32. The plans are in his presideeeeeeenchal safe, instead!

[AndyTiedye]

74. The Plans Left His Desk Months Ago

They are on the desks of his generals, being implemented.

[doublethink]

28. Keith Olberman's Special Comment from last night .......

here .... http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16152.htm

I for one believe nothing this administration has to say ... "you shall know them by their fruits, not by their words" Peace.

[TankLV]

55. amazing what some of those comments dare to advocate...

they would be specifically banned here and prosecutable in this country, no matter who might secretly agree with them...

and it would be wrong to advocate like those, right agent mike?!

[Aviation Pro]

29. Uh, Little Monkey? Two words....

...bull and shit.

[PFunk]

48. Damn. Beat me to it :).

[calimary]

30. Always watch what they DO, not what they SAY.

Because all they ever say - are LIES. Their words are unreliable and not to be trusted. EVER.

[EVDebs]

31. Wargamed and a failure then...but that won't stop the Neocons.

Will Iran be next ?
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200412/fallows

[VegasWolf]

33. Bush is not going to attack Iran. He does not have the military power nor

the political capital to pull it off. Russia and China will be all over Bush's ass if he tries.

[Jersey Ginny]

41. He no longer cares about political capital. I fear "nucular" attacks

[VegasWolf]

42. Color me skeptical! I'm not wasting any sleep over it. It is not about what

Bush wants. It is about the real world outside of Bush's mind.

[superconnected]

34. Great. It's going to be sooner than later.

[Doctor_J]

35. Remember "We went to war reluctantly"

that was a lie too

[VegasWolf]

36. This reminds me of the post back in April 2005 where everyone else was swearing

that Bush was going to attack Iran by May.

[superconnected]

38. Wanna provide more info

what was going on at the time to make people believe that?

[VegasWolf]

39. Offhand, I don't remember the details. All I remember was the complete

paranoia. It was like this thread with everyone saying that Bush was immediately going to attack Iran. I'm not sure how to dig up the old thread. I'm simply being consistent, I said then that Bush did not have the military power nor political capital to pull it off. He would alienate the entire world. Bush is a total liar. Bush is also totally stupid. I seriously do not think he really understood the impact of his words. I see nothing that has happened to change my calculus of the viability of Bush attacking Iran. If I'm wrong you all will know, but I'm guessing I'm right.

:evilgrin:

[superconnected]

77. didn't think you'd remember the situation.

Which is always relevent.

[VegasWolf]

79. self delete . nt

[donkeyotay]

78. You're probably thinking of the Sy Hersh article. It had that timeframe nt

[TankLV]

54. or June - I remember it also.

But this time he mentioned Iran specifically...

remember, he's now a "cornered rat" and cornered rats are most likely to lash out.

before, he still had the illusion that the amerikkkan sheeple were still behind him and would kick our (Democratic) butt...that was BEFORE we handed the repukes their collective asses...

I want those who are saying this to be proved wrong again. I pray for that...

[HuffleClaw]

37. what complete bullshit

"I think one of the reasons you keep hearing about Iran is because we keep finding their stuff in Iraq,"????


more lies from a criminal administration.

[liberal N proud]

40. And by April we will be in Tehran

Never believe what the White House says as long as KKKarl, Dead Eye and bu$h are inside

[Theres-a]

44. Doublespeak. nt

[goforit]

45. Yep.

[Mnemosyne]

46. Liars. n/t

[alittlelark]

47. Immediate = in the next few days.....

.........sigh...........



WTF?

[lovuian]

49. Bingo DoubleSpeak is right

He is a LIAR

[alittlelark]

52. And a F*cking LIAR.....

Won't someone give him a BJ SO WE CAN IMPEACH HIM?????

[Zhade]

50. Pace is a liar. The British debunked that bullshit months ago.

WE'RE NOT STUPID!

[brentspeak]

51. The "no plan" part is at least for certain!

In the same way that Bush has kept us in Iraq without any plan, whatsoever.

[Az_lefty]

53. they got called on it, now their backing down...

little cowards are so predictable.

[nadinbrzezinski]

56. Damn I swear I have seen this movie before

[Pachamama]

57. Deja Vu for et tous?

Moi aussi....

I'm with you Nadin....the last few days and with statements like this, I feel I'm in a repeat all over of 4 years ago with the run-up to the War on Iraq...

:scared:

[Heidi]

58. Kick. (nt)

[kskiska]

59. WP: Gates Ties Iraq Push to Drawdown

Successful Troop Boost Could Mean Withdrawal Starting by Year's End, He Says

Saturday, January 13, 2007; A01

President Bush's new operation to secure Baghdad will begin in earnest with a push by thousands of U.S. and Iraqi troops in the first week of February, and its chances of success should be evident within a few months, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told lawmakers yesterday.

If the plan works, the United States could begin drawing down troop levels by the end of the year, Gates said. If the Iraqi government does not deliver troops and political and economic support, he said, the United States could withhold many of the 21,500 additional forces Bush has ordered to secure the most violent parts of Iraq.

Gates and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also assured members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that there are no plans to take military operations into Iran, clarifying remarks Bush made on Wednesday in announcing the new Iraq package.

"From a military standpoint," Pace said while responding to questions, there is "no need to cross the Iranian border."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/12/AR2007011201116.html

[Heidi]

60. Kick.

:kick:

[DeepModem Mom]

61. CNN: Defense Secretary Gates: First phase of Iraq war plan to begin early February

First phase of Iraq war plan to begin early February
January 12, 2007

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates testified on Friday that the first phase of President Bush's new Iraq war plan will begin around the first week in February.

Gates is appearing for a second time this week before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in the wake of Bush's announcement that he wants to increase U.S. troops in Iraq by more than 20,000.

The first of a planned five additional U.S. brigades in Iraq should be in place by the middle of this month, according to Gates, who last month replaced the embattled Donald Rumsfeld.

Iraqi troops are also part of the plan, and the first Iraqi brigade will move into Baghdad "around the first of February," Gates said.

"The operation itself will probably begin with some seriousness around the first week in February."...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/12/iraq.gates/index.html

[Zhade]

62. Hey, Congress? STOP THEM!

That's why we voted you into office. Do it, please!

[Eurobabe]

63. But of course, all the sooner to go into Iran. n/t

Time is a'wastin you know.

[JanusAscending]

64. I should have known this.........

when they called up my granddaughter, a newly graduated and trained Navy Corpsman. she's barely 19, and headed to Kuwait in mid Feb.!! Guess they are planning on a lot of casualties huh!!! Rotten bastards! She's stationed in Bethesda Md. now.:cry: :puke:

[Just-plain-Kathy]

65. Ya know, they keep so many secrets from us,

why do they have to make public exactly when the "surge" will begin?

Nothing like a suprise attack.

[BR_Parkway]

69. Exactly - and giving a timetable for withdraw was going to work on

behalf of the "enemy" but telling them when missions will start doesn't somehow.

[driver8]

66. Oh, I get it!! It's the NEW & IMPROVED "first phase"...

These idiots are unbelievable.

This administration is one huge clusterfuck.

[Purveyor]

67. So, the neocon "cakewake" music has yet not begun to play? n/t

[teryang]

68. Small US units to hunker down outside major bases with Iraqi...

...forces. Would you stay in a neighborhood, if you were an Iraqi soldier with no armored vehicles? Their bases are not fortified and have pitiful security. This stay in the neighborhoods plan is assinine, if it is true.

This is the plan according to a Pentagon analyst/reporter. He was extremely disapproving and I think rightly so, if accurate. That would be the neighborhood policing approach.

On the other hand, I read a report that "the plan" is to isolate, cut off and destroy neighborhoods from which resistance eminates, a la Fallujah. First target, ethnic cleansing of Sunni neighborhoods in Bahgdad. After that the Moqtadar al Sadr militia neighborhoods. Then if necessary the Mehdi brigades. This is the scorched earth or taking off the gloves approach.

The latter approach sounds more bushista like. This is the kiss your ass goodbye reality of Apocalypse Now.

[truthisfreedom]

70. A fart in the wind...

And another 2000 will die before we elect a new president.

[DoYouEverWonder]

71. Seems Bush is in such a hurry for more cannon fodder

that they aren't even going to let some of these kids finish training before they go.


Stryker brigade to skip test run

Training here, not at Fort Irwin

January 12th, 2007

A Fort Lewis Stryker brigade will leave for Iraq in April instead of May as part of the “surge” of U.S. forces aimed at reversing sectarian and insurgent violence in Baghdad.

The 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division will skip a previously scheduled trip to the Army’s National Training Center in Southern California and instead conduct its last pre-deployment rehearsals at Fort Lewis, a brigade official said Thursday.

The unit of some 4,000 soldiers will be the fifth Stryker brigade to go to Iraq, but the first without the benefit of a test run “in the box” at either Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert or the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/military/stryker/story/6320244p-5509832c.html

[Vidar]

73. About as credible as Hitler saying "This is my last territorial demand".

[rodeodance]

75. Gates Ties Iraq Push to Drawdown fox news is loving this story

claiming troops can prob. come home in Nov.


Gates Ties Iraq Push to Drawdown
Successful Troop Boost Could Mean Withdrawal Starting by Year's End, He Says

By Josh White and Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, January 13, 2007; Page A01

President Bush's new operation to secure Baghdad will begin in earnest with a push by thousands of U.S. and Iraqi troops in the first week of February, and its chances of success should be evident within a few months, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told lawmakers yesterday.

If the plan works, the United States could begin drawing down troop levels by the end of the year, Gates said. If the Iraqi government does not deliver troops and political and economic support, he said, the United States could withhold many of the 21,500 additional troops Bush has ordered to secure the most violent parts of Iraq.



Gates and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also assured members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that there are no plans to take military operations into Iran, clarifying remarks Bush made on Wednesday in announcing the new Iraq package.

"From a military standpoint," Pace said while responding to questions, there is "no need to cross the Iranian border."
,,,,,,,,,,,


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/12/AR2007011201116.html

[mvd]

76. He He

In 2002, Rumsfeld said there were no plans to invade Iraq. Like we can believe anything these people say.

[Iceburg]

80. Troops won't enter but Patriot missiles will...

"... in recent days the US has deployed an additional aircraft carrier off the Iranian coast. USS John Stennis will join the battle group led by USS Dwight D Eisenhower. In addition, a 600-strong Patriot anti-missile defence system unit from Fort Bliss, Texas, has been deployed to the Middle East, though it is unclear where precisely it will be located."