Iraqis May Control Security in 12-18 Mos

[OhioChick]

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN , 10.24.2006, 08:13 AM

U.S. officials said Tuesday Iraq's government has agreed to develop a timeline for progress by the end of the year, and Iraqi forces should be able to take full control of security in the country in the next 12 to 18 months with "some level" of American support.

Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, also said he felt the United States should continue to focus on drawing down the number of American forces in the country, adding that he would not hesitate to ask for more troops if he felt they were necessary.

The comments came after a spike in violence during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Casey said the Iraqi army lost 300 men during the fasting month ending this week.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said that the Iraqi government had agreed to develop a timeline for progress by the end of the year. He declared that the United States needed to redouble its efforts to succeed in Iraq.

http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/10/24/ap3114941.html

[w8liftinglady]

1. I got the impression that he was going to increase troop levels...he alluded to it

[leftchick]

2. been there

done that. Bring Them Home!

[saigon68]

32. Lecturing amerika on the benefits of Halliburton stock ownership

[leftchick]

39. yep!

they look and act like these guys...

[babylonsister]

3. 12-18 months at approx. 100 dead Americans per month and

approx. 700 wounded per month. I don't think anyone should be able to accept that.

[lwcon]

4. Casey: US phasing out of Iraq

The news: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15397894/

Iraqi forces should be able to take full control of security in the country within the next 12 to 18 months with minimal American support, Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said on Tuesday

Edit: new wording from msnbc/AP as story was updated from a "breaking news" item:

U.S. officials said Tuesday Iraq’s government has agreed to develop a timeline for progress by the end of the year, and Iraqi forces should be able to take full control of security in the country in the next 12 to 18 months with “some level” of American support.

Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, also said he felt the United States should continue to focus on drawing down the number of American forces in the country, adding that he would not hesitate to ask for more troops if he felt they were necessary.

The snark: http://vastleft.blogspot.com/2006/10/well-stand-aside-so-iraq-can-fall-down.html


___

Hey, the liberal light is always on at the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy. Please stop by and say "hi!"

[Toots]

5. I guess he doesn't want to fight them over there

Is he a traitor or something. We must kill kill kill them over there or they will come here and drag me out from under my bed where I cower and tremble. When Democrats were in Control America did not Cower and Tremble. Only under GOP control does America quiver and shake in terror...

[saigon68]

9. Casey is the Bush Criminal's Lap Dog

I'm sure few mothers of his dead troops have a more harsh assessment.

[coalition_unwilling]

19. Don't forget Lap Dog #2 (Blair) and Lap Dog #3 (Ricardo Sanchez) - n/t

[saigon68]

28. CAN'T FORGET LAP-DOG BLAIR

[saigon68]

31. Or little war criminal ricardo sanchez

Every time the little piss ant strode to the podium

He had this huge ill fitting pistol and holster attached to his little scrawny body.

He looked like the complete ass clown.

And Yes after a search, here is the little Bush Bot Now



Sanchez was relieved of his role as commander in Iraq, but tapped by his bosses at the Pentagon for promotion to a four star command. The Senate refused to approve the appointment because of the Abu Ghraib scandal.

Lieutenant General Sanchez recently announced his retirement and will no longer be commander of V Corps in Germany on November 1, 2006. McKeirnin will be the new commander.

Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez relinquished command of the U.S. Army’s V Corps in Germany on Sept. 6, 2006 in a ceremony at Campbell Barracks. The Army announced on September 8 that the 33-year veteran will retire in November.

Later Sanchez called the ACLU: "...a bunch of sensationalist liars, I mean lawyers, that will distort any and all information that they get to draw attention to their positions."

Good riddance to this IDIOT

[coalition_unwilling]

35. As pathetic as Sanchez is (very pathetic), I see him as emblematic

of the rot and malaise in the senior U.S. officer corps. (See Thomas Hicks' "Fiasco" for how the U.S. senior officer corps bears a heavy load of responsibility for losing in Iraq.)

Parallels to Vietnam abound -- bunch of careerist, ticket-punching desk jockeys (senior officer corps) trying to suppress a resistance movement of national liberation.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Odd contradiction

"said he felt the United States should continue to focus on drawing down the number of American forces in the country, adding that he would not hesitate to ask for more troops if he felt they were necessary."

[coalition_unwilling]

20. Brings to mind Ellsbergs 3 rules for conducting the Vietnam War:

1: Don't lose South Vietnam (Iraq)

2: Don't expand the war beyond the borders of Vietnam into Cambodia (Iran and\or Syria)

3) Don't violate rule #2 except if not doing so would violate rule #1

[Demit]

7. the next 12 to18 months. Let's see...that's 2 to 3 Friedman units, or FUs

for short, as Atrios says. We're always just about to turn the corner in Iraq, and it's always just months away...

[lwcon]

8. Is this a sneak preview of James Baker's report?

Casey seems pretty plainly to be laying the groundwork for cut-and-run, making the official (if farcical) posture that Iraq is in fact turning the corner, so we can begin a troop drawdown.

That said, slinking out of Operation Pandora will be well-nigh impossible, so we may still be there in force as many Friedman Units click by.

___

Hey, the liberal light is always on at the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy. Please stop by and say "hi!"

[saigon68]

10. Here is the answer

[LynnTheDem]

11. Coz WE sure the fuck can't do it.

That's more than obvious.

[DeepModem Mom]

12. NYT: General Casey May Increase U.S. Troop Levels in Baghdad

General May Increase U.S. Troop Levels in Baghdad
By JOHN O’NEIL
Published: October 24, 2006


(Pool photo by Thaier Al Sudani)
Gen. George W. Casey Jr. appeared at an unusual joint news conference with the United States ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad.

America’s top general in Iraq said he was considering sending more troops to help quell the violence in Baghdad, as he and the United States ambassador laid out a timetable for progress that they said has been agreed to by the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

The ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, said the timetable includes settling political differences between the country’s competing groups through a “national compact” within the next year, and taking quick action on some of the country’s most obdurate issues, including cracking down on Shiite militias, persuading Sunni insurgents to lay down their arms and reaching a fair division of oil revenues....

***

Today General Casey declined to say what new measures were being contemplated. But he raised the possibility that solidifying any gains in Baghdad may require an increase in forces.

“Now, do we need more troops to do that? Maybe,” he said. “And as I’ve said all along, I will ask for the troops I need, both coalition and Iraqis.”

Military officials have said that American troops have borne the brunt of the Baghdad fighting, in part because the Iraqi army did not deliver as many soldiers as had been called for in the plan devised before the crackdown began in August....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/world/middleeast/25iraqcnd.html?hp&ex=1161748800&en=817aa459b9a3ac56&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[Barrett808]

13. Is this the "One final push" option? n/t

[aquart]

16. No, it means we have no intention of going.

All evidence to the contrary, our fearless leaders still don't believe we can't still get the oil.

[babylonsister]

14. They are obviously ignoring the will of the American people.

I guess we don't matter. We're being held hostage! :argh: :grr: :nuke:

[coalition_unwilling]

21. Canada, please liberate us. We apologize for all the

moose jokes! :)

[rodeodance]

15. key--'ltimately beyond the military’s control'

Military officials have said that American troops have borne the brunt of the Baghdad fighting, in part because the Iraqi army did not deliver as many soldiers as had been called for in the plan devised before the crackdown began in August.

General Casey also said that bringing peace to the capital was ultimately beyond the military’s control. “I think it’s important for all of us to understand that we’re not going to have total security here in Baghdad until the major political issues that are dividing the country are resolved,” he said. “The political leaders understand that. And they’re wrestling with that part of it.”

The surge in sectarian killings has disrupted the American military’s original plan to draw down its forces in Iraq over the course of the year. General Casey said that the reductions, which began last December, were halted in June when it became clear that increased Iraqi forces in Baghdad were not having enough of an impact.

He said that had “a very strong belief” that the American military eventually needed to reduce its presence — “we have to get out of their way,” he said — but declined to say if further reductions were possible.

“I can’t tell you right now,” he said, “till we get through the month of Ramadan and the rest of this, when that will be.”

[saigon68]

33. I have a better picture

[Jacobin]

17. What's funny, is that the Iraqis already do control their country

We have no control over it at all. They're having their own civil war.

[coalition_unwilling]

22. We''re just one militia (death squad) among many now. (n/t)

[Massachusetts]

18. May Control Security in 12-18 Mos

Keep your eye on the ball......James ("wheelin dealin") Baker.

[Eugene]

23. I'll believe this when the militias turn in their weapons.

In a separate AP report, Khalilzad says that al-Sadr agreed
to a timetable to disband the militias. This would be much
easier to believe if the Mehdi Army wasn't killing policemen.

AP Story: U.S. October Death Toll in Iraq Hits 91

[deadparrot]

24. U.S. says more GIs may be needed in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two weeks before U.S. midterm elections, American officials unveiled a timeline Tuesday for Iraq's Shiite-led government to take specific steps to calm the world's most dangerous capital and said more U.S. troops might be needed to quell the bloodshed.

U.S. officials previously said they were satisfied with troop levels and had expected to make significant reductions by year's end. But a surge in sectarian killings, which welled up this past summer, forced them to reconsider.

At a rare joint news conference with the American ambassador, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, said additional U.S. troops could come from inside or outside Iraq to "improve basic services for the population of Baghdad."

"Now, do we need more troops to do that? Maybe. And, as I've said all along, if we do, I will ask for the troops I need, both coalition and Iraqis," Casey said. There are currently 144,000 U.S. forces in Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061024/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[hatrack]

25. Christ, creeping Rumsfeld-speak! "Now, do we need more troops to do that?"

"Am I totally clueless? You bet!"

"Are a lot more of our people and a whole lot more of their people going to die? Golly, I sure think so!"

:puke:

[gratuitous]

26. "I will ask for the troops I need"

You might want to check the abrupt termination of career that other generals experienced when they contradicted the all-wise Bush about troop levels they required, Mr. Casey. Or perhaps you have, and so you're parroting the administration line syllable for syllable. We'll finally get the truth out of this officer, gentleman, man of duty, man of honor, man of our country when he is safely retired and pensioned off. Then he'll explain enthusiastically and in great detail all of the administration's fuck ups and how he had no choice (if he wanted to keep his stars) but to go along with every hare-brained idea coming out of the administration.

Meanwhile, another 90 soldiers died in Iraq so far this month. Think they give a good goddam about Mr. Casey's pension?

[Bigmack]

27. I'd be cheering...

the Repuds in the plan to raise troops if it wasn't killing our people... and Iraqis, too.

Go ahead, dumbshits, your timing is perfect! People are turning against the war like never before, and you want to send more troops into that meat grinder. DRIVE those wavering voters away from your party and into our waiting arms.

Dumbshits!

[saigon68]

34. They are daring you to CHEER

[Anakin Skywalker]

29. Can You Say "Draft", Huh? Come On!

You can say it. DRAFT! DRAFT! DRAFT! :)

No special prefs. Send Jenna and Barbara!

[jwirr]

30. How many times have we heard this claim?

[Amonester]

37. We sure know these CONDItional words...

"may"
"should"

have been used before, after, and since the illegal invasion (for what?) an awful lot, and nothing's ever "changed" except the criminal Republican's hypocritical "concerns" about their "it's just a number" traitorous stance...

Nobody should really give them any credibility now, right? Because when was it that they ever had any?

Like in "Fool me once..." :mad:

[bleedingheart]

36. Yeah...and I have a bridge I can sell to the folks who believe that

[NastyRiffraff]

38. I may win the lotto in 12-18 months.

That stands just as much chance of happening as this new framing of an old, tired propoganda point. Nice if it happens, but wishful thinking won't get you there.