Casey: 'Surge' Could Go Home by Summer

[underpants]

Gen Casey Says 'Surge' Troops Might Be Able to Start Going Back Home by Summer
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2807384

TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq Jan 19, 2007 (AP)— Gen. George Casey, the top American commander in Iraq, said Friday it's possible some of the extra troops President Bush ordered to Baghdad won't be needed there more than just a few months.

The first group of extra troops a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division has just arrived in Baghdad, and Gates said it was too early to predict how Bush's plan for quelling the sectarian violence in the capital will work. Four other brigades are to be sent to Iraq between now and May, assuming the Iraqis follow through on their commitment to bring three additional Iraqi army brigades into Baghdad and to allow raids against all illegal militias.

Wow they are "extra troops" they just came out of thin air I guess


"It will be late summer before we see the results that would cause us to make some decisions like that," Casey added, referring to the prospect of reducing the overall size of the American force, which stood at 132,000 troops at the time Bush announced he was sending reinforcements.

A British military spokesman in Basra told reporters that no "hard evidence" had been obtained of Iranian arms, money or weapons technology entering southern Iraq, but he added, "As a gut feeling we know there is Iranian influence" here. The predominantly Shiite Muslim areas of southern Iraq have historic ties to Iran, which is a predominantly Shiite nation. (I am shocked that even got mentioned by an America media source-15th paragraph or not)

[hippiechick]

1. yeah, in BODY BAGS

:mad:

[hobbit709]

2. They are no longer called body bags

The official name now is "transfer tubes"-more doublespeak.

[hippiechick]

3. Whatever * calls them ... our kids won't be walking home...

... under their own power, physically and mentally healthy and ready to get on with their lives.

:mad:

[lyonn]

11. Are you serious? That is sick! n/t

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. Success is always 6 months away in Iraq & it has been for years.

[BayCityProgressive]

5. yeah

right. How many times have we heard this one??

[underpants]

9. We don't torture we've never tortured and we are going to stop torturing

about the same thing.

Thanks I have a new line about the war.

Executive Summary of the war
------------------------------

A bad idea that they lied about, didn't plan for, undermanned, and overfunded.

[lyonn]

12. Six months, Gut Feeling, how about some vooodoooo??

The masses are not Believers anymore. Hallelujah! and I'm not even religious.

The Dems are out there en mass telling it like it is, Nuts. They are telling it clearly that we don't even "think" about dropping bombs on Iran for any trumped up reason. Remember, first time, shame on you, second time shame on me. No Gulf of Tonkin this time bushies.

[Bonescrat]

17. Last throes... I swear... nt

[Robbien]

6. Surge can stay at home in January, February, March, April and May

and also be home in summer.

This sounds much better Casey. Why don't you see to it that this happens?

[tchunter]

7. note the qualifier in there

they COULD be home in 6 months, so technically in 5 years when the surge is still on, we can't accuse him of lying because he never said they would definately be brought back. politics is all about lying in a truthy way

[underpants]

8. "My ticket home is in Baghdad"

Welcome to DU tchunter :hi:

I heard that line so many times leading up to the war that I just had to start laughing at it. This, as you point out, is more of the same.

[newyawker99]

22. Hi tchunter!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[lyonn]

10. The military/admin. Gut Feeling, Oh, pleeese, how about

gettin' real? Your figures don't match up doofus. First he says three months then "by summer". Their "gut feeling"? How about getting realistic! Blind leading the blind.

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, death and mutilation continues, on both sides, American and Iraqi. Oh how we are hated over there. Dumbness is all over the place. A bloomin' Idiot is leading this country in war and by now most of the U.S. knows it and are wondering how the hell did we get suckered into this!!?

It's Friday, and my rants start along with my brew, hops that is.

[PATRICK]

13. This could be a face saving measure

The quelling would simply be the lack of deployment not resulting in more casualties as the newbies mostly wander in the Green Zone then get back on a plane home. It would be hard to pick or guarantee a moment when some propagandist can say: "See it worked. We go home now." This should be taken as a sign of weakening and ridiculous compromise for not doing such token lunacy in the first place.

Unfortunately, we have a long experience with these whopping teasers never ever coming to pass and meant only to sell the foot in the door forever real intent. They really should keep their active generals from talking even as a reaction to saner or freer retired officers.

[EndElectoral]

14. I dunno...the Surge could be greeted as liberators? summer....easy.....right

[eagler]

15. Summer of what year?

nt

[Jack Rabbit]

16. "They'll be home before Christmas"

-- LBJ, August 1964

[librechik]

18. maybe Casey isn't just a yes man. Maybe he's a crazy man.

He doesn't strike me as very stable.

[dkofos]

19. Running a University into the ground is not the same as running the DOD

[Evergreen Emerald]

20. many of the experts say that it will cause a lull in the violence

temporarily. That last time they did this it worked for a few months. but then the violence got worse than before. So, perhaps it is a face-saving measure. They lull the violence for a few months (the insurgents leave the city until the troops leave) and then Bush can pull out the troops and claim victory.

[Squatch]

21. Can we get any "experts on Iraq or military matters" to comment?