Brainwashing Propaganda, or Morality Lesson?

[Jester]

What do you think the probability is that they will actually draw down troops in Iraq to zero on that time table?

To zero? Zero. The plan is to leave some residual force there, presumably to keep their mitts on key assets and protect that gargantuan embassy they're building. (In fairness to McCain, it was probably to this kind of residual force that his much-maligned "100 years" comment was referring.) The maintenance of multiple military bases all over the country is unacceptable, and I'm not sure what their eventual fate will be. Hopefully dynamite and bulldozers.

We'll see what actually happens. I would like to see no more than a token number of US troops there (say, less than 5,000), but I think convincing the Pentagon of that is not easy. However, the current number of troops is something like 150,000, many in major combat roles. The plan is to reduce that to maybe 30,000 by 2010, to be used for training and anti-terror operations, and then finally to complete the withdrawal of combat troops by 2011. That sounds to me like a plan to withdraw troops from Iraq, one that is entirely within Obama's (first) term as president. A little slow for my liking, but I'll settle for a slow end to the war versus no end.

-Jester