I Agree With Sen. John McCave, That Big Pander Bear

[Strelnikov_]

The status quo in Iraq is unacceptable. If we are to have a chance to turn things around, a move has to be made in the next several months (per MTP this morning).

The options are 1) a significant increase in troop levels to stabilize the situation, and if this is not acceptable 2) immediate pull-out.

Sen. McCave is promoting option 1. I commend him for taking a stand.

The problem is, he is being as unrealistic as the Neo-Cons prior to the invasion.

Conventional military doctrine indicates an occupation force of 500,000 would be required. Let’s use the number Sam Seder throws around, an additional 300,000 troops. For his strategy to work, a lid has to be placed on the entire country, or the Arab whack-a-mole game will simply continue as the combatants move from province to province.

So, Sen. McCave, where are we going to get 300,000 more troops, and deploy them to Iraq within the next several months? Draft and train this number in that time frame?

Of course, Sen. McCave has in the past thrown around a number of 100,000 additional, and when informed there are nowhere near that many troops available, reduced the increase to 20,000.

Can we afford to let this big a Pander Bear anywhere near the White House?

[Thickasabrick]

1. I have always felt that the reason we wanted complete control

of the situation there - without the UN or NATO was we wanted control of all the oil/reconstruction contracts. I think the Iraqis when polled, didn't seem to be as averse to an international force under UN control

The question is, can we mend enough fences to turn it over to an international force....or are we still too greedy? Of course, if we get control of NATO forces like we are currently lobbying to do that plan wouldn't work.

[AnnInLa]

2. He and Lieberman and Cheney

all say that a war cannot be conducted according to opinion polls. But, the American public wants this war to go away. So, adding more troops, and keeping the war going is not going to please the public at all. Depending on whether Lieberman and McCain really want to buck public opinion, I think adding additional troops is a no-go. Am looking for a phased withdrawal, for obvious political reasons. Anyone else?