Bush to hasten Iraq troop withdrawal in bid to help McCain win White House

[cal04]

By Leonard Doyle in Washington
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bush-to-hasten-iraq-troop-withdrawal-in-bid-to-help-mccain-win-white-house-866885.html

President George Bush wants to speed up the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq, a move that could help to quell the anti-war anxieties of voters before November's presidential election.

Drawing down large numbers of troops would enable the Republican candidate, John McCain, to say that his forceful military strategy for Iraq was correct. Alone among Republican and Democratic politicians, he consistently urged Mr Bush to take on the insurgents with extra forces. He is now attacking his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, for preaching policies of defeat by calling for a withdrawal in 16 months.

US commanders want to reduce their deployment in Iraq to ease the strain on the military and free up troops for other conflicts, including Afghanistan. There are also concerns that Mr Bush is making contingency plans for military engagement with Iran before he leaves office.

By next January, three of the 15 combat brigades now in Iraq could have left the country, say government and military officials. That would still leave up to 130,000 frontline troops in the field – a reduction from the 170,000 deployed in the "surge" last year.

[sam sarrha]

1. they are sending them to Afghanistan.. the same place that bankrupted the soviet union

a worse meat grinder

[Doctor_J]

2. Yes, the staged hostage resuce in Columbia didn't have the effect

that they were hoping for. If this doesn't work they'll have to fly some more liners at NYC and have McSame shoot them down with a SAM.

[Frustratedlady]

3. How come he moves after Obama says that's what he plans to do?

He's been sitting there all this time, doing nothing important. Obama makes a speech explaining how he will bring the troops home and George jumps on it like he's been shot out of a cannon.

McCain wasn't going to bring them home for 100 years.

Someone better tell George which side Obama is on.

[bemildred]

4. Damn, only 3.5 months to go, got to paste together some fake "success" before the election. nt

[Demeter]

5. Bush Couldn't "Succeed" Given 3.5 Centuries

I wouldn't worry about it. Events (especially "economic ones") have so overtaken the spinners that they will be totally unable to warp reality in any direction for a long time.

[bemildred]

6. Yeah, the only way up is down at this point. nt

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. It won't work.

Too little, too late.

Besides, Afghanistan is calling on the other line.

[bulloney]

8. It's a shell game. Move them out of Iraq and put them in Afghanistan.

Sad part is, this wouldn't have been necessary if we'd have stayed focused on bin Laden and stayed in Afghanistan instead of going off to Iraq on Bush's red herring.

[Alcibiades]

9. If bringing the troops home is a successful strategy

Why vote for the fellow who never wants to bring them home? Apparently they think that McCain won't have to address the Iraq occupation now. The next thing you know, they will claim to actually be looking for bin Laden.