From: Adam <""4thwormcastfromthemolehill\"{at}the field.near
the bridge">

John Cuccia wrote:
> Here's some good news.
>
> The US military leadership has enough sense to oppose White House
> plans for escalation of the conflict in Iraq.   We'll soon find out if
> W is telling the truth when he says he listens to what his generals
> have to tell him.
>

Yup.

A) Surge....per se means insurgents lay low & then come back as the
wave subsides like crabs on a beach.

B) What size surge. 30-40K just ain't where it's at. A doubling to roughly
(my quelle surprise) the orig before the war numbers might make a
difference.

C) They need to quarter the area but that'll only work when they have solid
Iraqi pbi to leave when they move onto the next quarter.

But hey. Reality is downing but the coldest time is just before dawn.

Adam


> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/18/AR20061218014
77.html
> The Bush administration is split over the idea of a surge in troops to
> Iraq, with White House officials aggressively promoting the concept
> over the unanimous disagreement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
> according to U.S. officials familiar with the intense debate.
>
> Sending 15,000 to 30,000 more troops for a mission of possibly six to
> eight months is one of the central proposals on the table of the White
> House policy review to reverse the steady deterioration in Iraq. The
> option is being discussed as an element in a range of bigger packages,
> the officials said.
>
> But the Joint Chiefs think the White House, after a month of talks,
> still does not have a defined mission and is latching on to the surge
> idea in part because of limited alternatives, despite warnings about
> the potential disadvantages for the military, said the officials, who
> spoke on the condition of anonymity because the White House review is
> not public.
>
> The chiefs have taken a firm stand, the sources say, because they
> believe the strategy review will be the most important decision on
> Iraq to be made since the March 2003 invasion.
>
> At regular interagency meetings and in briefing President Bush last
> week, the Pentagon has warned that any short-term mission may only set
> up the United States for bigger problems when it ends.
>

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