Analysis: U.S. Preparing for Iraq Exit

[Hapameli]

Analysis: U.S. Preparing for Iraq Exit

By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer Sun Dec 25, 5:19 PM ET

WASHINGTON - At every stop on his three-day tour of
Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld sent a similar message: The U.S. military is not rushing to get out, but it is getting out, nevertheless.

In his public appearances with U.S. soldiers and commanders, as well as with Iraqi officials, Rumsfeld emphasized the positive — an elected Iraqi government is being formed under a new constitution, and Iraq's own soldiers and police are shouldering more of the security duties.

In other words, the U.S. military is getting out.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051225/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq_getting_out;_ylt=A9FJqamyhK9DcPMAoQqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OXIzMDMzBHNlYwM3MDM-

[lvx35]

1. Thank God.

Its the right thing to do. I fear that history may remember this as the 500 billion dollar magic trick that turned Iraq into Iran, but nevertheless, the sooner we get out the better.

[PATRICK]

2. Odd analysis for an AP "veteran"

His astute conclusion is the very one Bush would like to slide well into the American consciousness even though th military in the same article seems very leery of the perception.

First of all it is token. Second it is accompanied by substitute aerial bombing and possibly stepped up small attacks to keep the insurgents' heads down as they creep out a sliver at a time.

That might point to a Vietnam style withdrawal that does not want to be seen as such done with more care.
Or it might be for show and simply withdraw some troops so we can move into Iran and lull the folks at home. In short, it means nothing except for those who may be coming home finally.

The real threat to our military in Iraq is the WH. Unable to release the hand caught in the cookie jar by letting go of the cookie, the occupation force in Iraq is trapped. Any action against Iran will face a reaction by the Iranian backed government in Iraq. The troops will be caught in a revolving door between two local united governments. The fact we worked over the Sadr faction does not mean the US is anyway prepared to confront the Shiite majority for the first time. The WH is not astute enough to balance anything out in the mess they already created. Sending Gonzales, supposedly one of the few Bush can trust, to Turkey is a baldly amateur attempt to try and force the Turks into the tarbaby again.

Simply bombing the Iranian nuke facilities may now be just as disastrous as another invasion attempt.

Going ahead with the naked PNAC fiasco with cronies, shoddy plans and zero support in the human world, now truly puts Bush in the Nero mold as he pushes his will against the military to the breaking point.
As with McCarthy taking on the army, endangering the army further with another two front adventure, will probably be the cause for his downfall even more than the domestic spying crime- if ones wants to wait long enough to see another lake of blood covering the American flag.

Any promise to limit the assault to bombing nuke facilities is merely promising to toss a match instead of a torch onto the floor of a dynamite shed one is standing within.

All the election years moves to "withdraw" troops was preordained long before Bush's polls and yet they will have a great deal of trouble paring down the already insufficient forces without bombing Iraq left and right as a smokescreen, constantly- and perhaps with reverse effect.

That does not bother the intrepid, astute, experienced and ever searching news media who simply will repeat the incompetent plan with any spin the Royals want to give it.

As for the baldly repetitive steps leading to the Iran War in which one only has to change the last syllable of the target, that is something the media just doesn't want to get into- until their pompoms are delivered.