# Pentagon Having Second Thoughts On Iraq Withdrawal



## High_Gravity (Apr 14, 2011)

Pentagon Having Second Thoughts On Iraq Withdrawal 









> WASHINGTON  Eight months shy of its deadline for pulling the last American soldier from Iraq and closing the door on an 8-year war, the Pentagon is having second thoughts.
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> Reluctant to say it publicly, officials fear a final pullout in December could create a security vacuum, offering an opportunity for power grabs by antagonists in an unresolved and simmering Arab-Kurd dispute, a weakened but still active al-Qaida or even an adventurous neighbor such as Iran.
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Pentagon Having Second Thoughts On Iraq Withdrawal


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## Jroc (Apr 16, 2011)

Why do we have to with draw completely from Iraq? makes no sense to me, we are still in friken Europe, Korea, Japan. We should keep a base there as a deterrent for the Iranians.


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## Wicked Jester (Apr 16, 2011)

High_Gravity said:


> Pentagon Having Second Thoughts On Iraq Withdrawal
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Just one more thing the teleprompter user is gonna have to explain away during the '12 campaign.

One thing is for sure, that boys got some serious 'splainin' to do!


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## High_Gravity (Apr 19, 2011)

Jroc said:


> Why do we have to with draw completely from Iraq? makes no sense to me, we are still in friken Europe, Korea, Japan. We should keep a base there as a deterrent for the Iranians.



Well those countries have asked us to stay, the Iraqis hate us and want us to get the fuck out.


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## PLYMCO_PILGRIM (Apr 19, 2011)

We need someone who can be this I guess

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slOWroJlmbs&feature=related]YouTube - decider[/ame]

"i'm the decider"


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## old navy (Apr 22, 2011)

Sen. McCain said during the campaign that we may be there awhile. He was nailed to the wall.

Reality sucks and governing is harder than campaigning.


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## Trajan (Apr 22, 2011)

yes, the plan was always to leave behind enough men and material to aid the iraqis.....

I always thought approx 20k would do it...but....


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## uscitizen (Apr 22, 2011)

Of course the pentagon does not want their funding decreased.


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## Trajan (Apr 22, 2011)

uscitizen said:


> Of course the pentagon does not want their funding decreased.



for iraqi stamped money they won't, they already have in other areas.


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## bigrebnc1775 (Apr 22, 2011)

And this comes as a surprise?


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## Trajan (Apr 22, 2011)

whats not surprising it the law of unintended consequences, if one believes that iraq had anything to do with the sweep of some of the more egregious dictators in the ME going down, then we have fucked ourselves. 

Now, right now, our taking down saddam may have blown up in our faces. 

If the iraqi 'democracy' doesn't work and even in this anti dictator climate, an ME benevolent dictator[ship] always has a chance ala Jordan. 

The mish mash of sunni shia issues has not proven to be problematic YET. 

If Assad get tossed, the consternation and tectonic shift will be HUGE. 

The Saudis who are quietly praying that Assad survives would be in great danger.


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## uscitizen (Apr 22, 2011)

It all still turns out just as I predicted before we even invaded.

And this is truth.
I did not have all the exact dates, names, etc.  But my overall prediction has been spot on.


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## Missourian (Apr 22, 2011)

uscitizen said:


> It all still turns out just as I predicted before we even invaded.
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> And this is truth.
> I did not have all the exact dates, names, etc.  But my overall prediction has been spot on.




Link?


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## Wiseacre (Apr 22, 2011)

The pentagon says whatever Obama wants 'em to say.   Otherwise their career is kaput.   I don't think there's a single person in uniform that doesn't want to get the hell out of there asap.


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## uscitizen (Apr 22, 2011)

Missourian said:


> uscitizen said:
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Sorry but the politics.com board I made the prediction on folded and reopened as something entirely different a few years later.
Some of the later ones can be found on justplainpolitics.com though.
Those mostly involve the finiancial failure and recession which also so far has hit right on my predictions.


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## Trajan (Apr 22, 2011)

uscitizen said:


> It all still turns out just as I predicted before we even invaded.
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> And this is truth.
> I did not have all the exact dates, names, etc.  But my overall prediction has been spot on.



as to what exactly? the occupation force...?


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## Jos (May 29, 2011)

> RICHMOND, Va.  More than 800 members of the Virginia National Guard are being deployed to Iraq for more than a year.
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> Units based in Hampton Roads, Fredericksburg and Christiansburg will begin federal active duty June 1. Theyll train for 45 to 60 days at Camp Atterbury, Ind., before heading to Iraq.


More than 800 Virginia National Guard members to deploy to Iraq - The Washington Post


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## Caroljo (May 30, 2011)

High_Gravity said:


> Jroc said:
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> > Why do we have to with draw completely from Iraq? makes no sense to me, we are still in friken Europe, Korea, Japan. We should keep a base there as a deterrent for the Iranians.
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Not all of them...my son's been there 3 times, and he said many of the citizens were very helpful, wanted to know how to join the american army, the kids were always around wanting them to play, women would bring them food on guard duty.  Many Iraqi's worked right on the bases with them.  He just felt very sorry for them...with all the extremists in the area, he never knew if he's see someone again - the good ones are the ones that get blown up.  It's very hard to see your 26 yr old son crying over what he saw over there, out of frustration of not being able to do enough to help.


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## Sallow (May 30, 2011)

Jroc said:


> Why do we have to with draw completely from Iraq? makes no sense to me, we are still in friken Europe, Korea, Japan. We should keep a base there as a deterrent for the Iranians.



We need to get out of Iraq..and those places you mentioned as well.


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## Wiseacre (May 30, 2011)

Caroljo said:


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Please extend our gratitude to your son for his service, sincerely hope he comes home soon and safe.   

Look, I don't like being in Iraq any more than the next guy, but what'll happen if we leave before they're ready to defend themselves?   You think Iran wouldn't take over by any means necessary?   We gave those people a shot at liberty and democracy, and we paid a heavy price to do it.   Maybe they won't make it anyway, but in view of the situation across the entire middle east, it's a good thing to have an example of a democracy right in the middle of the muddle.    I'm guessing there are a lot of young people over there in the entire muslim world that want what Iraq's got.   Let's hope the sacrifices we made were worth it.


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## Caroljo (May 30, 2011)

Wiseacre said:


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I will and thank YOU! But he's not over there right now...he's in training with Special Forces in NC - will graduate in Feb (I think!)...then hard telling where he'll be!!! I thank God all the time that he has a wonderful wife and he'll never have to worry about her or the kids when he's away!! 

Oh...and we're from Michigan and my son is a die-hard Lions fan!!!  So he'd love you're avatar, he has a few of those too!


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## JBeukema (May 30, 2011)

$$$$$$$$$$$​


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## High_Gravity (May 31, 2011)

Caroljo said:


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I appreciate your post and I applaude your son for his service, and yes there are Iraqis that like the US and want Americans there, however there is a great deal of Iraqis that despise us and want us gone, like Moqtada Al Sadr and his followers. Americans are just not safe in Iraq, if me or you went walking down the streets in downtown Baghdad or Tikrit with no security we would be fucking dead or kidnapped, the only safe place in Iraq for Americans is Kurdistan in the North, thats it.


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## High_Gravity (May 31, 2011)

Wiseacre said:


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Your post makes alot of sense and I agree with you however how long should we stay? we have already been in Iraq 8 years and have spent billions of dollars, I personally think the situation in Iraq is as good as it is going to get, I don't know how much better we can make things over there, at this point right now it is on the Iraqis to decide what they want for their country, to be Irans bitch, turn back into a Saddam like dictatorship or actually try to become a democracy.


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## Wiseacre (May 31, 2011)

High_Gravity said:


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How long?   Not very, IMHO.    I think they're already asking us to go, so we should go.   If it's my call, we're gone by the end of this year.    Same with Afghanistan, everybody comes home.    Sooner or later they'll have to float their own boat, and besides, we ain't got the money any more.   Not to mention the lives lost.


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## High_Gravity (May 31, 2011)

Wiseacre said:


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I agree 100%.


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## Caroljo (May 31, 2011)

High_Gravity said:


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Thank you, and i totally agree.  One deployment sent my son for a year in Baghdad...I WAS A BASKET CASE FOR THAT WHOLE YEAR!  He told me that once on a patrol they took a wrong turn and went into Sadr City...NOBODY goes into that area.  He said he'd never seen those vehicles go so fast to get out of a place! Lol!  His camp was always being mortered..every day.  He was with the 101st Airborne then...and Thank God, they all came home safe!


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## Douger (May 31, 2011)

murkinz.
Is anyone on this board even remotely convinced there was EVER any plan for leaving Iraq ?
Once the empire conquers it stays FOREVER.
Can You Say 'Permanent Bases' ? [in Iraq] by Tom Engelhardt


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## High_Gravity (May 31, 2011)

Caroljo said:


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Yes and this is exactly what I am talking about, it is not safe for Americans in Iraq even protected US Soldiers. The only part of Iraq where you won't get killed or kidnapped on site in Iraq is Kurdistan, they actually like Americans up there.


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## Jos (Jun 1, 2011)

Caroljo said:


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People told me the same thing  when I told them I'd driven thru Liberty city, Florida


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## California Girl (Jun 1, 2011)

High_Gravity said:


> Jroc said:
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Actually, they don't 'hate us'. Most ordinary Iraqis like the US. Of course, they want their country back... a stable, solid country with a future. We should do what is necessary to ensure they have that. If it means leaving troops there longer, then that is what we should do. Personally, I would prefer that than to see the country go to hell in a handbasket after we leave.


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## High_Gravity (Jun 1, 2011)

California Girl said:


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Troops probably need to be there for security reasons but I don't even know if we can afford it, it costs billions to keep the troops in Iraq and from what I understand they are reviewing the war in Afghanistan and the price is the whats being evaulated first, I think its setting in at the top that we really can't afford to be in Iraq or Afghanistan for too much longer at least at this volume.


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## California Girl (Jun 1, 2011)

High_Gravity said:


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Sometimes, you have to look at the picture from another angle, HG. Rather than asking 'can we afford to leave them there?' perhaps the question should be 'can we afford to leave?' I would prefer we not leave and have the country disintegrate to the point that we have to go back again in a few years. The question is 'can we afford to risk walking away before we have secured the place'.


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## High_Gravity (Jun 1, 2011)

California Girl said:


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Those are very good questions you have asked, to be honest I think the situation on the ground in Iraq is probably as good as its going to get as far as our Troops go, we finally got the Iraqis to stop massacring themselves in large numbers and our troop Casualties are way down there (of course due to a reduced presence) Iraqi Troops and Police have taken over security in most parts of the country, I don't know how much better we can make it because the Iraqi Police and Military will never be up to the same standards of our Troops and Police. If the Iraqis want us to stay beyond this year we really need to sit down and discuss what our goals are there.


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## Wiseacre (Jun 1, 2011)

High_Gravity said:


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Nice discussion, does anyone have nay numbvers for what it cost us to be in Iraq in 2010?   I assume less than 2009 and earlier but have no numbers.


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## High_Gravity (Jun 2, 2011)

Wiseacre said:


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I am not sure but we have less bases and less troops so I assuming the cost will be less however we are still paying to train the Iraqi Military and equip them, so who knows?


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## JimH52 (Jun 4, 2011)

PLYMCO_PILGRIM said:


> We need someone who can be this I guess
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> YouTube - decider
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> "i'm the decider"



Yeah, that turned out really well, didn't it?


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## JimH52 (Jun 4, 2011)

*George W Bush *made the day of the iranian leaders when he invaded Iraq.  He played right into the hands of the Shiite nation.  Being a recovering alcoholic, it was difficult for him to see beyond the end of his term.  The Shiite-Sunni war goes back over 1400 years.  His war strengthened the hand of Iran.  He actually hurt the Saudi Sunnis, who of course, had given him a huge loan to buy a baseball team.  We will see that the Iraq war emboldened Iran to develop the bomb, not to destroy Israel.  They are aiming to destroy the Sunni nation of Saudi Arabia and gain control of all the oil coming from the middle east.  *W's* short sightedness may cost you $20 a gallon of gas in the next few years.

WoJ - The coming Shiite-Sunni War in Iraq


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## Synthaholic (Jun 4, 2011)

Wicked Jester said:


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I thought that the situation on the ground determined policy?  Or is that only when the NeoCons are running things?


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## waltky (Jul 28, 2011)

Iranian militias gettin' bolder as U.S troop withdrawal nears...

*US military officials in Iraq warn of growing Iranian threat*
_July 27, 2011 : American military officials say the upcoming US withdrawal has emboldened Iranian-backed militias, which they blame for recent deadly attacks and allege are stockpiling weapons._


> As the clock ticks toward full US military withdrawal from Iraq, American officials who want troops to stay longer continue to warn of a growing Iranian threat.  Some argue that the diminishing US presence is turning Iraq into an even-more contentious regional battlefield, giving rise to a low-grade war between the remaining American forces and what the US says are militias tied directly to Irans Revolutionary Guard.
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> Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose rule is dependent on Iraqi parties with ties to Iran, appears unable or unwilling to crack down on the most lethal Iranian-back militias, blamed for June attacks that killed the largest number of American forces in two years.  While military officials say Iraqi security forces have continued to fight Shiite militias linked to Iran, the US is increasingly conducting attacks alone  attacks authorized for self-defense under the status of forces agreement between Washington and Baghdad that expires this year.
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See also:

*Sadr followers send message to US: Don't try to stay*
_May 27, 2011 - US troops are scheduled to leave Iraq by Dec. 31, but Prime MInister Maliki said he is considering seeking an agreement that would allow them to stay longer._


> Tens of thousands of followers of anti-American cleric Muqtada al Sadr staged a military-style parade Thursday in Baghdad to demand that US troops leave the country as scheduled by Dec. 31, a show of force intended to intimidate Iraqi officials who favor asking that some American troops stay on.  Dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with Iraqi flags, the men marched in groups of 100, swinging their arms in a military fashion as they passed a reviewing stand filled with Shiite clerics in the impoverished Shiite Sadr City section of Baghdad, named after Sadr's father.
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> "No, no, America. No, no, Israel," they chanted. To set the tempo, they punctuated their march by calling out "Mahdi," a reference to the disbanded Mahdi Army militia, in what sounded like a warning that it could be reconstituted if US forces remain after year's end.  Sadr is the first major political leader to stage a public demonstration in what's expected to be a heated national debate during the next two months over the American troop presence. Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki said earlier this month that he'd decide by the end of July whether to seek a new agreement that would let US troops stay longer.
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