U.S. Developing Backup Plans if Iraq Surge Does Not Show Results

[Bhaisahab]

U.S. Developing Backup Plans if Iraq Surge Does Not Show Results
By Vince Crawley
USINFO Staff Writer

Washington -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he does not consider the new troop surge to Iraq the “last chance” for stability in the violence-torn country and that he is developing backup plans if the surge does not achieve its expected results.

Testifying before Congress on February 6 and 7, Gates also warned that the reinforcements could be halted if the Iraqi government does not uphold its commitments.

President Bush announced January 10 that he is ordering as many as 25,000 additional troops to Iraq. With the surge, U.S. troop levels in Iraq will exceed 160,000 in the next several months. (See related article.)

If the plan works, Gates said, U.S. troop reductions could begin by the end of 2007.

“The performance of the Iraqis is absolutely critical to the success of this operation,” Gates said of Iraqi security forces, which are taking a leading role in establishing secure sectors throughout Baghdad.

CONTINUED AT:
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=February&x=20070207164921MVyelwarC0.1822931

[fooj]

1. DEVELOPING?

Our men and women are dying in an illegal and immoral WAR of CHOICE and they are DEVELOPING BACKUP PLANS?

:grr:

[Monkeyman]

3. What do you want a plan ya right these guys

[CoffeeCat]

5. Exactly....

It's as if these thugs are planning to fill the Grand Canyon with
sugar--using a teaspoon.

And they're letting us know that if that plan doesn't work--they'll
switch from sugar to paprika.

Don't worry guys! We've got a stellar backup! All is well! Remain calm!

[niceypoo]

18. Backup Plan: Attack Iran

[PassingFair]

21. Ha Ha. Plan B.....

Maybe they will attack Syria, just to prove
us wrong.

They only thing we are sure about is that
they will attack SOMEONE.

[CoffeeCat]

2. They're preparing us for never-ending war...

They know damn well that this "Scourge" will not succeed. They
know that it will fail very quickly, with no positive results.
They know that the US will take massive casualties.

They're playing with us--and preparing our malleable, little
minds for more and more war---despite the constant failures
and absurdity.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. Yep, it stall, bait and switch, stall, bait and switch ad finium.

[IndianaGreen]

14. Only Congress can stop this insanity

by either shutting down the Iraq War as a previous Congress did the Vietnam War, or by impeaching Bush and Cheney.

I get the feeling that the war will end with our helicopters ferrying people out of the Green Zone.

[fooj]

6. Thus, the "War on Terror".

On it's face, that's absolutely ridiculous. Translation: War on Terror= Perpetual War.

:grr:

[saigon68]

17. They won't "win" until they KILL all the islamics

Maybe Jurgen Stroop can teach general pace how to eliminate the "resistance"

</sarcasm>

[pinto]

7. While the (R) talking heads rail about "what's the Dem plan", this is the most vague

piece of side stepping I've ever seen from an Administration, led by the self appointed Decider-in-Chief. Bullshit.

Nixon's "light at the end of the tunnel" was at least an obvious scam.

[PFunk]

8. All this will do is hasten and repug landslide in '08

Despite the dems lack of backbone.

[rodeodance]

9. well condi wants us all to ficus on Plan A--. So, seems there will be a

Plan B and C and D............

[Atman]

10. Operation Stall Until 2008 Election is underway!

:eyes:

"Okay, okay, really...just one more one last chance, really. Honest. Then we're done."

.

[LynnTheDem]

11. Choppers off the green zone roof, baby.

[countmyvote4real]

12. What about getting the F out of there ASAP?

Pride is not a valid argument when every alternative plan is insanely the same thing. Even the humiliation of an “Oops, we goofed” candy-gram will likely be better received than more of the same BS and bloodshed.

[gravity]

13. Its not just about our pride

Its the Iraqi people we have to worry about. I think just leaving Iraq now could make the whole country worst if a huge civil war breaks out, and could destabilize the entire region. Don't think it can't get worst.

I'm personally for an alternative plan, but based from Bush's performance, I don't trust anything that he has to offer.

Fool me once shame on ... shame on you, um ... fool me can't get fooled again.

[Bhaisahab]

15. Hi gravity. Welcome to DU

Its good to see someone recognizing how badly the Iraqi people have been screwed by a bunch of American warmongers. How about a plan that goes like this:

1. Impeach Bush and Cheney and the whole administration for deceiving the American people and starting a war of choice.

2. Announce complete American withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2007.

3. Request a general session of the UN and get Speaker Pelosi to apologize to the whole world, and to the Iraqi people, for the mess in Iraq

4. Request a UN-led mission to bring peace and stability to Iraq, the key roles of such a mission being handled by Iraq's neighbours.

5. Heavily tax all corporations that have profited from the Iraq war and use that money to start an honest, transparent, and effective reconstruction programme in Iraq, focusing on health and sanitation and education.

6. Elect Al Gore the next president of the USA!

[endarkenment]

28. Welcome and I am really tired of that lame excuse

"Its the Iraqi people we have to worry about" 600,000+ dead so far, I think perhaps we don't actually care too much about Iraqi people and more about Iraqi oil.

"a huge civil war breaks out" - it already has according to the bipartisan ISG. Only Dumbass's criminal administration pretends that this is not the current situation.

"could destabilize the entire region." - we already have done that, and if you go read the PNAC and other related documents, destabilizing the entire region is part of the plan.

"Don't think it can't get worst." Its been getting steadily 'worst' every year of our occupation. Our occupation makes the situation get 'worst'. Get a clue.

[Solly Mack]

16. So if the surge, which has been tried before and has failed, doesn't work

YET AGAIN...blame the Iraqis for not doing their part. Blaming the Iraqis is not a new talking point...but the more you repeat a lie,etc.




The of goal the Bush adminsitration as 2008 approaches is - to avoid the blame and the label of failure (we didn't fail,other external forces did)

The strategy is to place the blame/failure elsewhere using spin (lies, catapulting the propaganda)

The tactics used will be to constantly repeat how it is the Iraqis fault/failure for not standing up, the American peoples fault/failure for not being supportive enough, fault/failure of the military for not doing their job or not getting to do their job(as McCain is doing), The Democratic Party's fault/failure for not supporting the troops

[gratuitous]

19. But Bush said this will work, no doubt

And the reason it will work, according to Bush is "because it has to work."

Hard to refute logic like that, huh?

[Doctor_J]

20. Yes - impeachment

or at least 10 million people in DCwith pitchforks.

[underpants]

22. A Plan B??? why that just undercuts Plan A

or at least that was what Condi was told to say to kill time at her last Senate testimony.

[HuffleClaw]

23. “The performance of the Iraqis is absolutely critical..."

hilarious. they've already decided whose fault it will be!

[AndyTiedye]

24. If 25,000 Troops Doesn't Work, Plan B is 50,000 Troops

[endarkenment]

27. It seems it is already 50,000 troops.

When they said 25,000 they meant 25,000 combat troops. They forgot to mention the 25,000 support troops that were going with them.

[Demeter]

25. Yeah, Putting US Under Martial Law and Instituting Draft

Some plans, Huh?

[endarkenment]

26. I've got a backup plan!

Load your trucks up, get into all those humvees, back them all up the highway you came in on.

What utter bullshit. Surge fails and then we will get another round of we cannot afford to fail stay the course must succeed etc. Then a new plan. Then the new plan fails. Repeat again and again. Ooops it's 1-20-09 and now its a Democrat in the white house and suddenly failure is an option. Forget about the thousands who died to stall the failure until it wasn't Dumbass's watch anymore.

[ohio2007]

29. Get out of their cities,stop playing cops

Let the Iraqi's take back their cities and many will stop fighting the Iraqi govt. We need to get on the borders,thats where our soldiers will have less of a risk of being attacked. Anybody approaches our troops know what to expect instead of being the other way around ( which it is now )