Ryan C. Crocker, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Iraq attempts to sow fear of a hasty withdrawal

[bigtree]

January 22, 2009; 12:31 PM

BAGHDAD, Jan. 22 -- Ryan C. Crocker, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Iraq, warned Thursday that a precipitous withdrawal of American troops runs "some very serious risks," from the resurgence of the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq to a collapse of faith in a nascent Iraqi government that still faces what he called "enormous challenges."

A loss of confidence, Crocker said, could create a "chilling effect," where people "pull back, dig the trenches, build the berms and get ready for what comes next. I'm not saying that that would happen, but I'm saying these are dangers that could happen."


Iraqi officials have said the United States has yet to convey to them any specific timetable for a pullout. But Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qadir Muhammed Jassim, in a news conference Thursday, said the military was prepared for any contingency.

"We cannot leave our country whether troops withdraw from it or not," he said. "We are here, and we have our plans prepared for the worst."

read: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012201762_pf.html

[BOSSHOG]

1. Meanwhile

bush is kicked back in Texas getting drunk or snorting cocaine. What? Him worry?