The United States and coalition forces will likely reduce the number of troops in Iraq next year, Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Saturday.
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"I've discussed the pullout possibilities with Secretary Rumsfeld and we agree on the future course. We are optimistic about the buildup of Iraqi forces to cope with the situation," he said.
So, are Democrats just making noises so that next year, when the troop draw down begins they can take credit?
Probably.
The point is, we don't go until the job is done and the job is not done until Iraq's forces and government are capable of handling most of the insurgency, leaving us to deal with the Islamists, which will probably be done by special forces and intel units that will stay in Iraq for sometime. But, I imagine that we aren't planning to keep 135k in Iraq for the next five years. I also suspect that civil affairs units will stay and help Iraq get on its feet for awhile longer before turning it over to NGOs.
That's been the plan all along, even if certain Senators and Representatives refuse to acknowledge it because, to get political benefit, they have to say that Iraq was a disaster and not a win. Particularly after they've been talking it down for two years.
Support the troops? Nah. I don't think these folks really care if they make the troops feel like they lost or fought for nothing as long as November 2006 they can use it to get elected. And, hey, so what if Zarqawi and bin Laden think they won and use it to recruit more terrorists to bomb us and our allies. We can always lob a tomahawk some time in the future.
hat tip: Mudville
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