Deal to pull 150,000 US troops out of Iraq by 2012

Looks like they have struck a deal before Obama took over

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...eal-to-pull-150000-US-troops-out-by-2011.html

 

If we are going to be out of all cities and towns by June 2009, there is no reason for us to remain in the country at all. All it does is concentrate our forces for mortar and rocket attacks. We should start immediately bringing everyone and everything home on July 1, 2009.

 

I really do not care who takes credit, I am just glad that it is being done.

 

Yeah that was the weird thing about the whole election, which was totally unexpected. For the first time in the occupation phase of the Iraq operations the Bush Administration handled things well and professionally with the Surge and the political campaign that it was based on. The result was, after all the kicking and screaming from the dangerous leftest pacifists, suddenly Iraq looked like it had a functioning government and security apparatus and that we could leave.

Now frankly, I don't want to leave Iraq. I want ground forces in the middle east breathing on the neck of Iran and Syria, two monstrously genocidal and evil states sitting smack in the middle of US and World interests. I'd had pulled troops out of Europe and put them into Iraq, although maybe thats not such a great idea after the Georgian action by Russia earlier this year.

Regardless, the idea that they COULD be pulled out and that we would reach so many of our objectives in such a short time before the 2008 election is mind boggling and essentially took Iraq off the Presidential Election campaign agenda.

The "Tyrant" George Bush now entered Iraq, toppled an evil dictator in the center of the whirlwind of the trans-regional chaos of the middle east, put both Iran and Syria on permanent notice by reminding them who the 800 pound Gorilla is in the room, established a new government in Iraq, unselfishly and in accordance to American ideological commitments, even as it knowingly strengthened some aspects of Iranian influence and proving our commitment to the altruism of our action and to the world, stuck it out between the sides as they were shooting at each other, proving that we had staying power and patience, and now with things much more stable, freer, and much more Democratic than any country in the Middle East other than Israel, he's going to leave as they demand.

Popularity polls be damned. Through this entire mess, and god knows Mr Bush has made colossal errors with regard to Iraq along the way from Abu Grave to insufficient troop strengths after the invasion, (they invade the country and THEN debate the wisdom of nation building?????), George Bush has perhaps for the first time in World History and in American History fully applied the principles of the American Democracy movement to exercise of foreign diplomatic and military power. And at least momentarily, every state in the world is focused on the problem of Democracy and Freedom, from Lebonon to China. From Moscow to Venezuela. From the Congo to North Korea, the march of Freedom has been released and it is gonna take a lot more than the "diplomacy" and Madame "Don't Shoot AlQuada..." Albright, and the ignorant Barak Obama to undue this "mess" that Bush created...that mess called Freedom.

No more Banana Republics and propping up fascists of all stripes with covert operations which serve only our short term needs, even if that means that Iran might temporarily be strengthen and Chavez is bellowing from South America. Freedom is a process and not just a result. And step by step we make inroads. Each dictator is now aware that from Mussarif to Jung Ill, each one is being judge by history and the American people. And we will not forget the death of the poor in Zimbadwe, or the Sudan, or the enslavement of North Korea. They are all on a clock...a clock that is ticking...

Good for Bush. And Good for America and Good for humanity. This is the only glimmer of hope for the future of man...so embrace it.

This planet has gotten very small and there is no longer any place to hide.

Unfortunately, it is the very success of the Bush/Blair Foreign policy that gave the Democrats a stronger political position. Without a serious debate on the merits of action in Iraq, the Democrats were off the hook to defend themselves for proposing a dangerous and immoral foreign policy, leaving mostly the economy and social issues for the voters. The success in Iraq hampered McCain greatly. So be it. Freedom is a process not a result.


Ruben