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Ear to the Ground

Bush and Dems Struggle Over the ‘Surge’

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Posted on May 9, 2007

The Pentagon has told more than 35,000 troops that they could be headed to Iraq in the fall in order to maintain the “surge.” Meanwhile, House Democrats may decide to fund the war in two-month spurts, with an opportunity to cut off funding in July. The Senate will likely have to pursue a different strategy (see below).

AP via Yahoo:

WASHINGTON—The Pentagon on Tuesday alerted more than 35,000 Army soldiers that they could be sent to Iraq this fall. In Congress, House Democrats defiantly pushed a plan to limit war funding to two-month installments.

The deployment orders signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates would allow commanders to maintain the buildup of troops through the end of the year if needed.

President Bush has ordered nearly 30,000 additional troops to Iraq to quell a spike in violence, particularly in and around Baghdad. There are currently about 146,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the orders do not mean the military has decided to maintain the increased force levels through December. The Pentagon “has been very clear that a decision about the duration of the surge will depend on conditions on the ground,” he said.

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By QuyTran, May 9, 2007 at 2:05 pm Link to this comment

More troops for Iraq battle fields mean more blood shed and much much more US$ going to Halliburton making Cheney monthly checks thicker and thicker !

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By felicity, May 9, 2007 at 1:33 pm Link to this comment

This all sounds so much like Nam - win almost all the conventional battles while failing to control the countryside.  Russia’s nine years battling in Afghanistan?  Same story.  In fact Brzezinski wrote to Carter when the Soviets crossed the Afghan border, “We now have the opportunity of giving to the Soviets its Vietnam War.” 

Of course in Iraq we have given it to ourselves.

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By Dale Headley, May 9, 2007 at 12:18 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Well, this is good news for someone.  It turns out that much of this new “surge” will come from bases scattered throughout the world.  The people who live in those neighborhoods will be glad to see our soldiers leave.

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By Douglas Chalmers, May 9, 2007 at 8:40 am Link to this comment

Troops go to Iraq in September, $USD goes South in October!!!

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