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Petraeus Concedes Drawdown Depends on Deployment Length
So much for "conditions." Under questioning from Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Gen. Petraeus conceded that his timetable for ending the surge by July 2008 is due to the five extra active-duty Brigade Combat Teams coming to the end of their scheduled deployments and the lack of available units to keep U.S. troop strength at 162,000.
Remember this when President Bush on Thursday unveils his (read: Petraeus') "drawdown" plan -- and, for that matter, any time a politician says that the only "responsible" reduction of forces is one that's "conditions-based."
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Comments (7)
Anthony wrote on September 11, 2007 5:48 PM:Looks like Patraeus is about done with carrying Bush's water. Mr Bush, it your turn.
JP wrote on September 11, 2007 6:02 PM:It's going to be so demoralizing to watch the Democrats be totally outmaneuvered on this, so that by next summer Bush will be the "hero" bringing the troops home, easily handing the next presidency to the Republicans.
neo1 wrote on September 11, 2007 6:09 PM:oh give me a break -- GW 'bringing the troops home'?! Where did you get that idea?
JP wrote on September 11, 2007 7:02 PM:Gee, neo1, I don't know -- watching the media regurgitate White House spin for the past 6 years?
What's news coverage like on your planet?
MWF wrote on September 11, 2007 7:26 PM:Bush will not permit photographers to greet dead soldiers coming home, but you can be assured that there will be many staged photo ops when he greets the returning live ones.
Vincent wrote on September 11, 2007 8:22 PM:Frankly, I find it very upsetting that the senior commander of the US forces in Iraq does not know whether additional soldiers are available for the mission from the reserves or not. Isn't this part of his job?
kentuck wrote on September 12, 2007 11:11 AM:The Democrats need to bring this to people's attention. It is irresponsible to let these types of lies and obfuscations go unchallenged.
Not only will the 30,000 draw down because of attrition, but the other 130,000 cannot be maintained either, unless they are willing to send more people back for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th tours? That is unlikely.
It is not top-secret information that our Army is torn down and worn out. The next President that takes over in January of 2009 will inherit this mess. He/she cannot maintain these levels of troops in Iraq, even if they wanted to.
So, by next summer, expect more lies and obfuscations. Bush and the Republicans will say they are withdrawing 50,000 troops because of the "progress" that has been made. In reality, the troops will be withdrawn because they are worn down and stretched to the limit.