Bush: Not Only Will US Troops Be Coming Home, More Troops Will Be Taken Out Of Combat Roles

Ken McCracken • September 16, 2007

Good news for those concerned about our troops being in harm’s way.

WASHINGTON – While “formidable challenges” remain in Iraq, President Bush said Saturday, the United States will start shifting more troops into support roles — in addition to the troop withdrawals announced last week.
In December, the United States will begin a new military phase in Iraq — one in which “our troops will shift over time from leading operations to partnering with Iraqi forces, and eventually to overwatching those forces,” Bush said in his weekly radio address.
Bush was following the recommendations of Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Fewer troops in combat roles means fewer troops in danger. Fewer troops in danger means fewer US casualties.
Or, to put it another way, not only is the President withdrawing troops from Iraq he’s also moving our troops into non-combat roles so that Iraqis can take over.
It has to be hard for the Democrats to keep up their calls for withdrawal from Iraq, and a hand-over to Iraqi government/security forces, when the President keeps…doing just that. Of course, the Dems keep moving the goalposts and want the withdrawal faster, but at some point they’re just going to have to admit that we’re going to finish the mission.

Tags: Domestic Issues, Politics, War On Terror

http://Array robert108

It is lunacy to tell the enemy what we are going to do next.
robert108

P: Besides not knowing the meaning of “ad hominem”, you are ignorant of the difference between political information and military information. Promising to “stand down as the Iraqis stand up”, and delivering on that promise doesn’t reveal any tactical info to the enemy. On the other hand, revealing a pullout date is a big mistake. Sorry I had to ‘splain that to you.
robert108

Can we now call the “Surge” what it really was, an escalation.

Only if you want to be a liar. It is troop reinforcement.
2Hotel9

Rob, not quite. We will be sending more engineers and technicians, they will be in the same amount of danger. That is the very nature of guerrilla warfare.
As more Iraqi troops and National Police take over we will pull back our combat forces. Construction and infrastructure development projects will have larger numbers of American military and civilians working on them. All soft targets.
That is the one point in their favor. Men busy working on jobs that are routine and labor intensive can not defend against terrorists. Both are full time jobs.

Hunterkiller squads are the best option. US military does not embrace that doctrine. It means surrendering tactical control of given areas to a shadowy, secretive command structure. They tend to be unwashed, disreputable, disrespectful and outside of the REMF’s chain of command.(Ask your Dad about the conflict between Tactical and Rear Area Support chains of command. It can be a real nightmare.)

In the end it comes down to how effectively the Iraqi security forces do their job.

But do not be lulled. American non-combat troops will be in the same amount of, if not more, physical danger in the future. Al Queda is not stupid. They are highly adaptable. And switching focus from Iraqi civs to AMCITS is their next step.
Puzzlefeet

Once again, with the ad hominen attacks when you have nothing of substance to add. So if you have some documentation to prove otherwise, please share. But obviously my response and statements from Bush aren’t “new” “good news” but the same old same old rhetoric from Bush.

Nothing new here. Such is from R108, the pres. of the BAS club.
2Hotel9

This is what really pisses off leftards like puzz. Bush will not change what he is saying. The strategy for fighting terrorists is irrelevant. All they want is Bush to say what they command him to say. And that ain’t happening.

Hey, puzz, your heroes, the Warriors of Allah, are getting wiped out by other Muslims. That must REALLY piss you off. All that money you have sent them, all the moral support you and your Party, the Democrat Party, continue to supply them. And they are losing, just like your Union. Being destroyed by those you wish to dominate. Your socialist horseshit is rotting away to reveal the dessicated corpses of your Trinity, Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Your personal religion is as dead as your morals. Good riddance.
2Hotel9

spark, puzz just got done saying that Bush is saying the same thing as 4 years ago. Who keeps changing?
robert108

P: I criticized your thinking, not you personally. Ad hominem would be criticizing something about your person, and I didn’t do that. Duh. An ad hominem would be if I said you were ugly and smelly, or something like that.
2Hotel9

Oh, and if y’all want to have some real fun, not that this ain’t a hoot, there is a truther peddling crap in this thread. Enjoy.
Puzzlefeet

Actually I do know the definition of “ad hominen”, R108 and it was appropriately used to describe your response, a personal attack.

Perhaps you should look it up.

Guttermouth, did you buy a new pig yet, cuz you obviously aint gettin’ it for free!
robert108

wow, R108, it’s such a big secret, he’s been saying the same thing for the past 4 years. Nothing new today or from Thursday. Move along.

Once again, you show your BDS-caused ignorance.
2Hotel9

Ah, poor puzz, her heroes are getting killed and ain’t nothing it can do for them. This is almost as bad as the collapse of the SovUnion, it cried and cried its little heart out then, too.
Lestat

The “surge” was supposed to be a short term strategy. That was how it was advertised. The withdrawal of troops the president is suggesting is not due to the success, its due to the unsustainability of the current troop levels. It’s all spin.

Can we now call the “Surge” what it really was, an escalation.
Puzzlefeet

Bush speak September 2007:

our troops will shift over time from leading operations to partnering with Iraqi forces, and eventually to overwatching those forces,

Bush speaks
June 2005

Today Iraqi security forces are at different levels of readiness. Some are capable of taking on the terrorists and insurgents by themselves. A large number can plan and execute anti-terrorist operations with coalition support. The rest are forming and not yet ready to participate fully in security operations. Our task is to make the Iraqi units fully capable and independent. We’re building up Iraqi security forces as quickly as possible, so they can assume the lead in defeating the terrorists and insurgents.

Bush speaks June 2005.

And that is why a major part of our mission is to train them so they can do the fighting, and then our troops can come home.

Bush speaks 2006

“As more capable Iraqi police and soldiers come on line, they will assume responsibility for more territory with the goal of having the Iraqis control more territory than the coalition by the end of 2006,” he said in a speech to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

R108 writes;

It is lunacy to tell the enemy what we are going to do next.

wow, R108, it’s such a big secret, he’s been saying the same thing for the past 4 years. Nothing new today or from Thursday. Move along.
http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/author/sparkiearbuckle sayanything-81

they’re just going to have to admit that we’re going to finish the mission

so much spin in there it makes tops jealous.
so, uh, can we remember this and check back in a year or two to see if we ‘finished’ the job or if we just left? by then, the rationalization for the war WILL HAVE CHANGED ANOTHER 250,000 times.

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Bush: Not Only Will US Troops Be Coming Home, More Troops Will Be Taken Out Of Combat Roles

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