Top commander admits Iraqis want US out 'as soon as possible'

[deadparrot]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The top US military commander admitted that Iraqis wanted US and other foreign troops to leave the country "as soon as possible," and said US troop levels in Iraq were now being re-assessed on a monthly basis.

The admission by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Marine General Peter Pace followed a decision by the Pentagon to reduce the current level of 160,000 soldiers in Iraq by two army brigades, which amounts to about 7,000 soldiers.

"Understandably, Iraqis themselves would prefer to have coalition forces leave their country as soon as possible," Pace said in a Christmas Day interview on Fox News Sunday. "They don't want us to leave tomorrow, but they do want us to leave as soon as possible."

Some US foreign policy experts have expressed concern that a new Iraqi government emerging from the December 15 parliamentary elections could ask American troops to leave, but officials have dismissed that forecast as unrealistic.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usiraqmilitary

[Tom Joad]

1. What part of "now" doesn't he understand?

[tularetom]

2. What "officials"

have dismissed that forecast as unrealistic? I think its a definite possibility that the Shia aligned supermajority elected in the parliamentary elections will seek treaties with Iran and not ask but demand that we get out. If we do leave the situation will almost surely become chaotic very quickly and civil war is likely. At which point we can kiss all tha oil goodbye. If we stay we will become a visible symbol of occupation and hostilities against our troops will escalate to the point where political pressure in the US will force * to pull the troops - then, back to Alternate A - alliance with Iran, possible civil war.

[JohnnyRingo]

3. They want us out, but not tomorrow.

Is next week OK by you?
How about the first of the year?

Only when they can tear Cheney and Rummys fingers from the oil and military contracts.

Ask them if you're allowed to fly fighter planes over your country again.
Or if you can have an armored corp to protect yourselves from your neighbors.

Ask Buxh if you can have anything but a "security force" used for keeping your own citizens in line with our policies.

Until Iraq is granted true sovereignty will we be "able" to leave. And I don't think we have any plans on leaving.....ever.

But plans change.

[Bushies gotta go]

4. Listen closely

Have you noticed a this recent chatter from the shrubhouse about troop reduction, pullout, re-assessing troop allocations? Things that progressives have been screaming about for a long time. All of a sudden, it looks like the ideas are coming from the repukes side of the fence. Or from Iraq itself.

If you think about it, you can already see the upcoming spin.... *co and his cabal are going to make it look like they are bringing all the troops home... and they'll continue to reduce the numbers right up to the 06 elections. They'll "apease" the voters into believing they are xiting but all they'll be doing is making our troops weaker and in more peril Hell, the're already so thinly stretched... bring 7000 or 9000 home at a crack is really going to hurt.

AND IF... (prepare yourself)Iraq really does throw us out tomorrow, you can bet your sweet ass shrub will spin it that we won and he brought our boys home because he's a good guy.

[Orsino]

6. Or the effect will be...

...a drawdown that leaves behind only the troops guarding the oil fields. They may not be able to keep up the pretense of "liveration," but they won't let go of their real goal.

[rsmith6621]

5. Bush needs to FIRE HIM.........

..........The top US military commander for going against bushscum policy......leaving now isnt this administration plan....NEVER more like it.

[tabasco]

7. It doesn't really matter what the Iraqis want.

Super-rich, war-profiteering, multinational corporate CEOs are making billions from the Iraq occupation and they will not give up their goose easily.

[PurityOfEssence]

9. Ah, you mean "the administration"...

I don't get it either. We're not leaving. These guys have no intention of leaving, and if the Iraqis make a big stink about it, it could spark a big mess with Iran.

What legendary bunglers; they can't get anything right.

The administration has no intention of leaving Iraq; we're there for the oil, to buttress Israel, to have a presence in the region in case Saudi Arabia blows up and out of the sheer delusion that we can destabilize or conquer Iran. They'll draw down troops while putting more in; they'll transfer more support services to private organizations and beef up the combat troops while not radically increasing the number of "troops" and they'll pull all sorts of fast ones and greasy tricks to make it look like we're letting them take over as they "get on their feet", but they're not leaving unless absolutely run out or some other version of a disaster forces us out.

It's crazy, isn't it? So many Democrats actually believe we'll leave of our own volition. Murtha is in la-la land, and many others are too. Let's not even talk about the Republicans, but many unaligned people think we will too. It's nuts. Withdrawal will come only as a result of calamity, and if the Iraqi government literally jumps up and down and DEMANDS us to leave, these guys will twist and dodge in every known way to avoid it. This is shaping up to be a huge disaster.

[pfitz59]

8. PACE is Italian for "Peace"!

"General 'Peace'"! So ironic.