US commander in Iraq: "I need more soldiers, more time"

[ChairmanAgnostic]

Today's Christian Science Monitor gives us this headline.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0309/p10s01-woiq.html

"Gen. David Petraeus assessed Thursday what he needs to succeed, in his first press conference after almost a month on the job as commander of US forces in Iraq.

The core of his assessment: He needs 2,200 more soldiers and more time. But the general also warned that those things alone won't be enough to bring success."


Doctors are body mechanics, lawyers are legal lubricants, and generals are always in need of more troops, weapons and fuel. Half-truths? hardly. But when the only tool in your tool box is a hammer, every problem begins to suspiciously look like a nail. The Nail that is today's IraqNam is no different.

There was a fairly decent interview on NPR early this morning, and the person admitted that the surge was not only bad policy, but doomed to fail. On the other hand, all other policy choices were even worse and even more likely to fail. The NPR interviewer said, "well, that's not very promising. This is quite different than what the president and his people have been telling us."
the response was, "It is also the cold, hard truth. There are no good choices, there are no good options. Only many worse than others."

[babylonsister]

1. "when the only tool in your tool box is a hammer, every problem begins to suspiciously

look like a nail." That's a great line, and so apt.

Enough! At this rate, this war will go on indefinitely.

[JohnnyLib2]

2. once again: BUSHBUNGLE

[Double T]

3. bushco created this mess, therefore bushco must pay for this mess.........

by resigning from office in disgrace or face removal from office by impeachment. The blame for Iraq rests solely with bushco and no one else.

[tblue]

4. ""More" = more redeployments of the same people over and over and over, until

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. oh dear. thank you for the images.

I wish that all of America could see them.

What have we allowed to happen to our country? Where were we so wrong, so asleep, so unaware? How can we stop this evil?

[rodeodance]

6. total surge to 27,100, a 21-percent increase over original expectations.

The surge was originally advertised as topping out at 21,500 additional troops. But on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that Petraeus had requested 2,200 more military police – to serve as jailors for an expected increase in detainees – and that an additional 2,400 support troops would be needed, bringing the total surge to 27,100, a 21-percent increase over original expectations.

Frederick Kagan, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute and an advocate of adding troops, blames the White House for the impression that the surge is growing. He says support troops were always going to be needed, but the Bush adminstration failed to make that clear. But he adds that Petraeus will ask for even more troops if he thinks they're needed. "Of course the enemy has a vote and the situation can change."

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. yet today, that increase to the surge is 8400 according to my local paper

21.5 + 8.4 = 30,000 more targets, ill-equiped, exhausted, being led to injury and death.