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Consensus emerges in Congress for Obama Iraq plan

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bemildred Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 10:34 AM
Original message
Consensus emerges in Congress for Obama Iraq plan
Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has agreed to a timetable for troop withdrawals in Iraq after years of bitterly debating whether to set one.

The general consensus came Friday in the form of statements endorsing President Barack Obama's plan to bring home roughly two-thirds of the U.S. military force in Iraq by August 2010.

It was a compromise of sorts for the Democratic president, who campaigned on the promise of bringing every soldier and Marine home from Iraq within 16 months of taking office in January. His plan paves the way for some 100,000 troops to come home and as many as 50,000 troops to remain behind to train Iraqi forces and protect U.S. interests.

Not everyone was happy. Democratic leaders have suggested the 50,000 figure was too high and their more liberal colleagues swiftly rejected it. Republican leaders demanded assurances the plan would be abandoned if security conditions worsened. At least one conservative cast the timeline as arbitrary and dangerous.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gPStX4qFKZ2X9Dz1r2cvUCQP5FOwD96KKGEG0
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IsItJustMe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 10:44 AM
Response to Original message
1. I guess it all depends on your perspective. It all seems very half hearted to me though. We will
just have to wait and see where this all ends up.
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Lasher Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 10:51 AM
Response to Original message
2. Force withdrawal is scheduled mostly for that last 6 months between now and August 2010.
That way a whole year can go by before the plan is abandoned due to worsening security conditions. That's what McCain was thinking when he said the plan "...is one that can keep us on the right path in Iraq."
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williesgirl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 11:44 AM
Response to Original message
3. But in the meantime, we keep paying billions per month! Iraq must step up w/dollars as well.
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ConcernedCanuk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 08:45 PM
Response to Reply #3
7.  Iraq must step up w/dollars as well??? - umm didn't we destroy their infrastructure
.
.
.

kill thousands of their women and children

displace over a million

left poisonous depleted uranium all over their land to make them ill for generations to come

AND THEY SHOULD PAY TO REBUILD??

nahhh

I don't think so

IF the USA had done as they advertised, gone in, got rid of Saddam, got rid of the (imaginary)WMDs and got out in a short time -

maybe

But they are still there, built themselves a huge embassy with better facilities than all the Iraqis have

and the Iraqis owe the USA?

nope

you broke it - you fix it

Iraq was in better shape before the USA and it's coalition bombed, and is still bombing the living shit out of it

USA broke it - USA can pay to fix it - PLUS reparations for all the loss over the last 7 years

Keep your damm armies at home until someone REALLY attacks you

Iraqis never attacked the USA

But NOW they might -

Think how many children are going to grow up with memories of a family member blown to shit by USA bombs/bullets - -

THOUSANDS

and I'll guarantee you ONE of them will wanna do something about it

USA just created a whole new country of enemies - -

And it's gonna bite them in the ass
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MasonJar Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 12:14 PM
Response to Original message
4. Didn't Obama also say that all troops will be out by June 2011? I
heard one statement to that effect, but no one else has mentioned it. I will be much happier with this whole scenario if Obama is in fact bringing all the troops home by June 2011 instead of leaving a large force there indefinitely.
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groundloop Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 12:27 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. According to Chicago Tribune
A transitional force will remain until the end of 2011. After that any troops would only be there if requested by Iraq's government (and they have made statements asserting that they are capable of providing their own security and won't want our help).


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-iraq-withdrawalfeb28,0,3745226.story


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acmavm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 01:27 PM
Response to Original message
6. There is a very important term in that article and Obama's plan that I
believe we need to have defined:

<snip>
"...and protect U.S. interests."

<snip>

And exactly what are those interests that require the hold-over of 50,000 troops?

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