Defense Secretary Robert Gates found American commanders wary of a proposal to rush more U.S. troops to Iraq as he visited the war-ravaged country Wednesday.
[...]
Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq and one of several generals who met with Gates, said he supports boosting troop levels only when there is a specific purpose for their deployment. Other military leaders have expressed uncertainty over the purpose and results of injecting more troops.
"I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea, but what I want to see happen is when, if we do bring more American troops here, they help us progress to our strategic objectives," Casey told reporters during a news conference with Gates and other military leaders.
The "specific purpose" probably has a lot more to do with Bush trying to save his own ass than any other strategic objective.
Echoing some of his commanders' questions about a troop surge, Bush said, "In order to do so, there must be a specific mission that can be accomplished with more troops."
Perhaps he could fill us in on his specific objectives BEFORE calling for an increase in troops. For that, I guess we'll have to wait awhile for him to mull it over. Perhaps he'll have an epiphany while clearing brush in Crawford.
Gates said he was just starting to study that idea. He expressed concern that the Army and Marine Corps are not large enough to face challenges of the 21st century that might include threats in Iran and North Korea' as well as natural disasters.
Or UNnatural disasters such as Iraq. So far, the greatest challenge and threat of the 21st century has been Bush himself. When you tally up the costs and casualties, there's not even a close second.
Now, excuse me while I escape back to the 80s. Life seemed so much easier during the Reagan era.
No comments:
Post a Comment