Sounds like a political move to say the least...

[Regionnus Rattis]

Sources: Obama Administration To Drop Troop Levels In Iraq To 3,000 | FoxNews.com

3,000...10,000...27,000...who's number to believe? What is a real identifiable number?

 

[GBuck]

Any of the plans will require Iraqi approval, and on that front, the Pentagon recently secured a commitment from the Iraqis to start negotiations, but they have not agreed to any number.

Haha, The Iraqis think they can control the number of OUR troops committed to HELPING them... Wanna bet?

What are they gonna do, come here and fight us?

 

[mrjarrell]

Zero is the only acceptable number.

 

[Pocketman]

Since we're being forced by reality to make better spending decisions, not much money for rebuilding a country with a corrupt government and sitting on a large oil reserve.

 

[ZombieApocolypse]

Since we're being forced by reality to make better spending decisions, not much money for rebuilding a country with a corrupt government and sitting on a large oil reserve.

Not a big fan of the American puppet Iraqi gov?

 

[WWIIIDefender]

3000 ya right that wouldn't even be enough people to run the billion dollar embassy we built. We are never leaving Iraq under our current leadership.

 

[flatlander]

Since we're being forced by reality to make better spending decisions, not much money for rebuilding a country with a corrupt government and sitting on a large oil reserve.

Iraq or the U.S.?

Bob

 

[Stschil]

Since we're being forced by reality to make better spending decisions, not much money for rebuilding a country with a corrupt government and sitting on a large oil reserve.

Not a big fan of the American puppet Iraqi gov?

Of course it's corrupt, our Gubbermint picked them. It doesn't matter how bad someone is as long as they agree to play ball by the Oil Company, Bank, and Defense Contractors' rules. The US has toppled Democratically elected governments that didn't follow the "rules", why should anyone expect anything different?

 

[spec4]

Last night I saw a clip of Panetta on TVB. He clearly said "no plans have been made". I turned to my wife and said whay the hell are they announcing it if no plans have been made. This is being done for political reasons period. November 2012 is going to be the best month of my life.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Not a big fan of the American puppet Iraqi gov?

Would that be the government which the Iraqis formed after they wrote their new Constitution? Would that be the government formed AFTER the second nation-wide election? Do you folks pay attention to anything besides Nintendo and X-Box?

 

[Pocketman]

Iraq or the U.S.?

Bob

Honest question. Per the OP, I was referring to Iraq.

 

[Birds Away]

I don't believe we ever should have gone to Iraq. That being said, Donald Rumsfeld is primarily responsible for the fiasco it has become. Anytime a civilian thinks he knows more about how to conduct military operations than the professionals (see LBJ) you are in for a goat roping.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

I don't believe we ever should have gone to Iraq. That being said, Donald Rumsfeld is primarily responsible for the fiasco it has become. Anytime a civilian thinks he knows more about how to conduct military operations than the professionals (see LBJ) you are in for a goat roping.

It's the job of the National Command Authority (which includes the Secretary of Defense) to define the objectives for any military campaign. Rumsfeld wasn't involved in day-to-day operations the way LBJ ran the Vietnam War during his tenure. Rumsfeld made policy and passed it down through the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where it was implemented through staff actions just like everything else. The State Department interferes with military operations on a "local" level much more than the Secretary of Defense.