Bush halts Iraq withdrawals, cuts tours of duty

[HHSDad]

updated 1 minute ago

 

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Thursday ordered a halt in troop withdrawals from Iraq after July but cut the length of tours of duty, as he defended a war policy that will leave any resolution of the conflict to his successor.

 

In a speech timed to the fifth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, Bush endorsed Gen. David Petraeus' advice of completing a limited withdrawal of combat troops by July but then impose a 45-day freeze before considering more possible cuts. “He'll have all the time he needs,” Bush said of his top commander in Iraq.

 

That virtually guarantees that more than 100,000 servicemen and women will still be in the war zone when the next president takes office next January.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24034202

[HT721]

It's what has to be done, the next President can't get us out immediately this is going to be a long drawn out process. But America will be stronger when we have a secure stable Democratic ally in the middle east.

[Hasbeen]

I applaud cutting the tour to 12 months. I would be extremely pleased if we could find the manpower to limit tours to only one per soldier.

[H]

Colin Powell stated this morning on "Good Morning America" that the next President will "have to come to grips with the reality that the United States cannot continue to keep such large numbers of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan". Read into that what you will about Powell's opinion of the current President's grasp on reality. Powell's not the first to make such a statement, of course most uniformed military leaders have found themselves out of a job for pointing it out.

 

In related news, President Bush's job approval rating hits a new low...

[newarkcatholicfan]

We will not change things over there.They have done what they are doing now forever and they continue to do this with us there.

[leatherneck]

We will not change things over there.They have done what they are doing now forever and they continue to do this with us there.

 

I hope you never want to get the job of turning around a losing football program with that attitude.

[02Ram54]

I hope you never want to get the job of turning around a losing football program with that attitude.

A losing football program running one offense and defense for the last 1300 years (Islam), with a regional feeder system that had roots going back thousands more (Semitic tribalism)? Not to mention that the guys in Remember the Titans had it easy in comparison- on this team, the coaches hate each other, the offense hates the defense, the quarterbacks hate the running backs, and nobody likes the school, the fans, or even the cheerleaders.

 

Would you really expect to able to change that much?

[Run To State]

I hope you never want to get the job of turning around a losing football program with that attitude.

:lol: :thumb:

[leatherneck]

A losing football program running one offense and defense for the last 1300 years (Islam), with a regional feeder system that had roots going back thousands more (Semitic tribalism)? Not to mention that the guys in Remember the Titans had it easy in comparison- on this team, the coaches hate each other, the offense hates the defense, the quarterbacks hate the running backs, and nobody likes the school, the fans, or even the cheerleaders.

 

Would you really expect to able to change that much?

 

Yes

[mcpapa]

Colin Powell stated this morning on "Good Morning America" that the next President will "have to come to grips with the reality that the United States cannot continue to keep such large numbers of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan". Read into that what you will about Powell's opinion of the current President's grasp on reality. Powell's not the first to make such a statement, of course most uniformed military leaders have found themselves out of a job for pointing it out.

 

In related news, President Bush's job approval rating hits a new low...

 

 

A snippet from the second link; kind of shows just how polarized we are:

 

60 percent of Republicans approved of his overall job, his weakest showing yet with members of his own party. Just 7 percent of Democrats and 17 percent of independents approve.

[mcpapa]

Are we really equating football programs with the Middle East?! No wonder some went into this whole thing with unrealistic expectations...

[leatherneck]

Are we really equating football programs with the Middle East?! No wonder some went into this whole thing with unrealistic expectations...

 

We are talking attitudes. Sorry if that was lost on you.

[Hatz]

We are talking attitudes. Sorry if that was lost on you.

 

Got to be honest leatherneck, attitudes aren't universal and they don't apply to all scenarios equally.

 

Football is a game. Plain and simple. It has wonderful attributes that teach life lessons that can be employed elsewhere.

 

War, Blood Feuds, CENTURIES of rivalry and distrust are not things that Vince Lombardi can merely change with a pep talk and a hard work attitude that says, "IF we just show them what we have, then they will have to see how much better that is." The news is that some peoples in this world don't want what we have or the life we have. To impose it instead of letting it grow on its own is a mistake IMHO. :thumb:

[Mr.Fundamental]

It's what has to be done, the next President can't get us out immediately this is going to be a long drawn out process. But America will be stronger when we have a secure stable Democratic ally in the middle east.

 

What is Isreal?

[True blue (and gold)]

I hope you never want to get the job of turning around a losing football program with that attitude.

 

I know what you are saying LN, but I don't think that is the proper analogy. These guys don't see themselves as "losers" so why do they want to change? A better analogy would be trying to take a winning football program and trying to get them to give up football in favor of...say, chess.