US May Reduce Forces in Iraq by Spring »
Posted by: STONERS 1 year, 2 months ago137 Comments Report this Story
The U.S. may be able to reduce combat forces in Iraq by next spring if Iraq's own security forces continue to grow and improve, a senior American commander said Friday. He denied reports the U.S. is arming Sunni insurgent groups to help in the fight against al-Qaida.
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STONERS1 year, 2 months ago
Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top day-to-day commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, did not predict any reductions in U.S. forces but said such redeployments may be feasible by spring. There are currently 156,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.
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bubba21 year, 2 months ago
Bulls**t ... I don't believe it.
How many years have they been saying this? Too many!
This is a nice little story to make the American people think that the administration is actually thinking about doing this, but it is a sham to distract us.
Unless Bush is impeached or indicted or his vetos are overridden, there will be no reduction of troops in Iraq while he is in office.
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berkeley1 year, 2 months ago
odiemo's words mean as much as anyone else's a year from now.
"on march 24, 2008, the sky will be clear in manhattan."
like that.
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farmerman1 year, 2 months ago
Contrary to all your hate Bush, anti-America rhetoric, we are slowly winning the war. People like you have only emboldened and encouraged our enemies by your constant cowardly, cut and run position. But our brave and dedicated service people will continue to protect this Country and people like you, even though you try to undermine them. You and your leaders like Kennedy, Reid and Pelosi should be tried for treason.
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MRCOFFEECAKE1 year, 2 months ago
Of course not..We're going to begin a draft!
He has nothing to lose!
Typical Texan cowboy:
Pick another fight and have someone else's kids finish it!
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BronxBomber1 year, 2 months ago
Yeah lkafle, years from now, but not until next spring!I keep hearing otherwise, that this war will escalate, and more troops will be needed for years to come, I personally believe it, & don't believe otherwise. I do hope I'm wrong though, and that our men and women will come back home soon.
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libsRfunny1 year, 2 months ago
Well, if after our sruge is at full deployment we have 156,000 troops there now and we had 155,000 when Rumsfeld made hsi statemtn, then we must have sent home quite a few.
Unfortuantely, al-Qaeda helped inflame sectarian violence when things were starting to look promising, which forced up to put in mroe troops.
Now we have many factions formerly opposed to U.S. and coalition forces working side by side with us to oust al-Qaeda and help keep their gov't stable. They realize our forces can't leave until their own gov't can ensure stability. Iraqi forces continue to take over security in mroe and more provinces, enabling oiur forces to focus on killing al-Qaeda.
Saying we can start reducing troop levels in less than a year if things go as expected is perfectly legitimate and good news. But leave it to Bush-haters to turn it into a conspiracy.
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farmerman1 year, 2 months ago
If we can't bring some semblence of order or security, then we will have to start fighting this like we did in WW2. You reduce the place to rubble and let God sort out the innocent. Now we are just trying to be part of the police force and we are providing target practice for the terrorists. Sure we kill many more of them, than they do of us. But given their sick religion, we are just sending them to Allah and their virgins. What a sick cult.
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jordan111 year, 2 months ago
He denied reports the U.S. is arming Sunni insurgent groups to help in the fight against al-Qaida.>>>>>
Well as I wasn't born yesterday, & as I wasn't raised to be stupid, I'll have to pass on believing that. And all this 'next spring' talk; merely a manipulative maneuver to simmer folks down.
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simonsez1 year, 2 months ago
This will of course happen. There is an election next year and Bush isn't running. Republicans will not want the war to still be front page by then.
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EsaEngr1 year, 2 months ago
So far, everyone has missed the operative word... MAY!!! We MAY reduce our troop level, we MAY NOT! So much of that depends upon things on the ground, but working with the citizens and groups that do not support Al Quida, certainly cannot be a bad thing.
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MRCOFFEECAKE1 year, 2 months ago
Don't they get the news on the farm?
Clinton isn't the President!!
It's Bush that has been letting all the illegals in!!
AND IT IS BUSH WHO STILL IMPRISONS TWO BORDER GUARDS FOR
TYRING TO DEFEND OUR BORDERS...
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el4sail1 year, 2 months ago
We will be in Iraq for a long time. Get use to it everyone!
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yes $2 billion a week will seem like pocket change when we take on Iran.
They have the means to take out Israel, and stop the flow of about 40% of our oil.
Get a bicycle you will not be buying much $10.00 gas.
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el4sail1 year, 2 months ago
The Iraqis are doing a fair job at reducing the number of troops without any need for a policy shift.
They are using the Iraqi EFP Policy which goes hand in hand with the Up Armored hummer.
Seems that when the EFP hits the new armor on the hummer it blows right through it and turns it int a sort of molten metal shotgun blast inside the hummer.
Very deadly, some troops prefer the canvas doors they had before,
Heck one bullet can miss you but a shotgun blast inside the hummer is a wipeout.
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pcknowledge1 year, 2 months ago
"Odierno gave an update on the U.S. offensives under way in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad and in areas south and west of the capital. He said U.S. and Iraqi troops have made important progress."
Hundreds of innocent Iraqi civilians died. Iraq's infrastructure is largely destroyed.
The Sunnis are fighting the Kurds are fighting Al Qaida are fighting the US military. Iraq is in shambles & there is confusion as to who is fighting who & who belongs to which grp. A friend of mine is VP/Operations at a US security firm that installs land mines in Iraq. Some US military personnel didn't know the exact locations of the land mines, stepped on them & died.
Photos of prisoners abused at Abu Grahib. Halliburton seized oil fields, makes profits selling the oil @ twice the market rate in Asia.
Yep I call that progress! Money flows into Bush, Cheney & gangs pockets while the average citizen in the US & Asia pays for higher gas prices.
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rightfromwrong1 year, 2 months ago
The Americans will be there until the oil runs out...that was the reason they went there as we all know.
Since 40% of the American economy is based on war and defense spending the American administration will want to fight other countries as it is the only way of keeping their economy going. The Rich get richer and they send the poor and ethnic people to fight for them.
Jane Fonda for President but she would only last about a yr as she would be assassinated.
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SpazMat1 year, 2 months ago
Where do you get your 40% number?
The defense budget is less than 20%, and that is only what the Feds spend. The rest of the economy puts very little money into defence other than through the taxes above.
This is a volunteer military and you need to do some homework:
"whites make up 77 percent of the nation's population and 76 percent of its military volunteers"
"blacks serve in higher proportions in the military, but those who serve tend to be better educated and from wealthier neighborhoods than equivalent civilians."
"98 percent of enlistees join up with high-school diplomas or better. By comparison, 75 percent of the general population meets that standard."
"since the 9/11 attacks, more volunteers have emerged from the middle and upper classes and fewer from the lowest-income groups."
http://www.army.mil/professionalwriting/volumes...
The uninformed keep getting "uninformeder".
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SpazMat1 year, 2 months ago
Nominal GDP: 13.2 trillion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_...
Worst case defense spending: 1 trillion
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp...
Read the source, it claims 90% of the national debt is military and include debt payment on it, and anything else imaginable, to get the trillion.
If we give free food to North Korea, it is considered buying them off, and is included.
That comes out to about 7.6%.
real military budget stands nearer to 700 billion
The federal budget is 2.97 trillion
That comes out to 24%. More than I thought, but no where near 40%.
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SpazMat1 year, 2 months ago
"WASHINGTON (AP) รข;; The number of blacks joining the military has plunged by more than one-third since the Afghanistan and Iraq wars began."
""I've tasked our recruiters with ensuring that our minority percentages stay strong," Conway said. "We just want to make sure that we continue to look like America in the Marine Corps.""
"The decline is particularly stark for the Army. Blacks represented about 23 percent of the active Army's enlisted recruits in 2000, but 12.4 percent in 2006."
http://www.adelphia.net/news/read.php?id=137975...
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pcknowledge1 year, 2 months ago
It is all very sad. Our tax dollars could be spend on improving the US economy, US infrastructure, medicare for the elderly. Government funding into public schools which are in desparate need.Public schools educate the future generation who will make contributions to the US economy, in the technological fields, in science. Not many people can afford private schools. What's the use sending people to die for a never ending war in Iraq? Does anyone really foresee a day where the Sunnis won't fight the Kurds won't fight Al Qaida?
As Michael Renner has written in Foreign Policy in Focus, February 14, 2003, "Washington's War on Iraq is the Lynchpin to Controlling Persian Gulf Oil."
http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~pdscott/iraq.html
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farmerman1 year, 2 months ago
We are collecting plenty of tax dollars and are heavily funding schools, highways and other infrastructure projects. The last thing we need to do is spend more money on Socialistic, big government welfare programs. That is unless you just want to increase dependency on government and discourage initiative. But maybe you want us to be government dependent like the UK, France and Spain. Dying nations.
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pcknowledge1 year, 2 months ago
Public schools need funding as they lack sufficient funds to hire professional Teachers & keep them on the payroll.
Where did you get the info that schools are being heavily funded? Talk to some public school officials.
Public schools educate a future generation who will some day work in technology, sciense, education, even government in the US. Unless people like you want to have the entire future generation fight in wars in the Middle East? And US company's can go to foreign country's to recruit skilled labor because every able person in the US is fighting wars in the ME?
Government spending on schools does not bring about a socialistic government.
Many States throughout the US could see improved infrastructure, just take a look around you please.
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Dave511 year, 2 months ago
Ya right seems we heard this same old song and dance before they think were stupid? They also told us this war could last 10 more years so whats the deal
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tsirmaxx11 year, 2 months ago
we can't pull out without total victory and control....
Send more guard and reserve , they can give some relief until Iraqis can have a democratic government.....
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lum-chate1 year, 2 months ago
Has Odierno forgot that in Sept Petraeus will report to congress & the outcome of this will be drawdown of troops by the congress in Sep or shortly after. What's he talking about Mar 08, pure nonsense.
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ballbuster21 year, 2 months ago
i believe the u.s. military/gov. wants to remain in iraq.not so much for the oil but to maintain a base of operation for closer surveillance on iran, saudi arabia, packistan and the other middle eastern countries.in these day's and time's i believe it is/will be necessary for the future security of the u.s. and other countries in that region.i am not for this or any war but it is necessary to watch these countries for terrorist training activities and production of nuclear weapon's.because when the u.s. does pull out the combat troop's,these war mongering trib's and terrorist group's will start expanding much faster than before the war started.
note: i do not support any politicial party or group, i vote for the person! actually i would like to see all the politicial parties and group's disband!
(IMO) a v.n. veteran 1968-1970
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rightfromwrong1 year, 2 months ago
you are wrong...under the recent agreement the Iraqis have to turn over $12,000,000,000,000 worth of oil...that is right
TRILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Wizeone1 year, 2 months ago
WWII was preceded by just these types of little wars and incidents. Do you see a pattern: hostage taking in Tehran, marine barracks bombing in Lebanon, Pan Am flight 503, Kolbar Towers, USS Cole attack, the simultaneous embassey attacks in Africa,the 1993 WTC attack, the 2001 WTC attack. Now we see the same set of people trying to say it is all our fault. We should stop. We should give up. What happened to the saying: when the going gets tough the tough get going? What would have happened if when the battle of the bulge occured in WWII we quit? We decided we couldn't win in VietNam when the Tet Offensive occured. Why? What was the difference? What is the difference now? You talk about how much it costs now. How much will it cost when they are really feeling their oats? How much will it cost when Iran secretly puts an atomic bomb on an oil tanker and it floats into New York Harbor? Will it kill more Jews in NY or Tel Aviv?
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el4sail1 year, 2 months ago
USe your head or use you Military.
This is the choice of the new century.
Military actions achieve results. Not often is the result the one you planned on or desired.
Using you head in this war is the path to success.
Make America Energy independent and develop the technology herein america and license it to the world.
Let the Arabs eat their oil...
They wont be able to afford plane fare for Hijackings.
Right now in our military approach the enemy is getting funded by us at the gas pump and then taking $20.00 and turning it into an EFP and destroying $10 million dollar tanks.
The winnere will be the one who thinks best, so far it doesnt look like we are going to win.
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farmerman1 year, 2 months ago
We are as far removed from the WW2 generation as John Wayne is from Jane Fonda. We are soft, self absorbed, spoiled, government dependent and in many cases anti-American. The people who truly respect and love this country are daily ridiculed by the Lib media and there is very little sense of patriotism in many of our ethnic groups. We are on the downside of our status of superpower and that is welcomed by many Americans. Many on Netscape make this clear in their rants, even though they may not use those exact words. Perhaps a nuclear device in New York would build some backbone in this bunch of Lib cowards, but it may only result in a more intense push for appeasement. I truly believe we will ultimately be attacked in ways that make 9/11 look like a day in the park, then we'll see what happens.
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el4sail1 year, 2 months ago
If there is a nuke in New York it will be because we are killing their kids over there and they want to kill us back.
It wont come form a country which will make us find someone to blame innocent or not.
Killing a bunch more innocents will of course set the path to the next american city under the Mushroom cloud.
Old 19th century tinking is what is causing us mmost of th eproblem in theworld. We are being an imperialist power and facing the consequences.
Empires fall, every single one of them .
It is only a matter of time.
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el4sail1 year, 2 months ago
THe New Recruiting videos are great.
Go to Dailymotion.com and search for Iraq Resistance.
You will see Americans being blown to dust or cartwheeling out of th etops of their hummers like ragdolls.
Or the one where you see an RPG hit a turret gunner and vaporize the top half of him...
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farmerman1 year, 2 months ago
So we caused the WTC attacks, Cole, embassy attacks, Marine barracks and etc? We should just tuck our tails and stay in the US. If we get off the porch, then the big dogs will kick our butts? Is that what you are saying?
You jump around with your posts so much, you are hard to understand and come across as a nutcase.
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