Here's what I mean by "Bring'em Home" WRT Iraq

[fodderblade]

I posted this as a reponse on another thread and thought it would make a good discussion topic of its own. Regardless of who is elected, something like this should happen in Iraq IMO.

I do feel it is urgent to begin the withdrawl - many feel there should be no withdrawl.

Here are some specifics as I'd like to see them.

What I feel as "immediate" is beginning in Jan. 2009, we bring 6,000 troops per-month home. Thus in about 2 years we'd be done.

If Iraqis don't take over in that length of time, they never will anyway.

If they allow us a small residual base of 10,000 or so, I don't approve, but so be it - I'll live with that. However, 10,000 troops on a base is not a war and not a combat mission. Those things have to stop and stop soon, being turned over to the Iraqis ASAP.

The Iarqis already are saying they want us out fairly soon, and Bush has promised we will only stay as long as they want us. McCain seems to think we will stay as long as HE wants - it won't work that way however.

If we stay after being asked to leave, we will create more terrorists, which the Iraq operation has done all along -another chief reason I oppose the occupation/war - it has made and continues to make us less safe, creating as many new terrorists as we kill - a zero sum game for them, continuous blood and treasurefor us andour troops.


Bring theother 140,000 home or redeploy some as the generals require to Afghanistan.

How many should go to Afghanistan? Let the commanders of NATO on the ground decide.

I dare say that neither candidate has proposed such specifics. Also, it is becoming increasingly clear that if we don't do something like this and soon, the Iraqi gov. will likely insist we do, which would be very embarrassing and be a devastating psychological blow to our efforts at home and abroad.