NationStates Jolt Archive

Bush announces partial Iraq pull-out, citing 'measure of success'
Fri Sep 14, 2:50 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush announced Thursday he will pull some 21,500 combat troops from Iraq by mid-2008, but ruled out a full withdrawal and promised an "enduring" US presence there.

"Because of the measure of success we are seeing in Iraq, we can begin seeing troops come home," he said in a prime-time televised speech.

Sources: Yahoo/AFP/OccNEWS
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070914/pl_afp/usiraqbush_13This is the first step towards the end of this stupid War.

hey goergi, what took you so long?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20753969/

President Bush, defending an unpopular war, ordered gradual reductions in U.S. forces in Iraq on Thursday night and said, “The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home.”

Yet, Bush firmly rejected calls to end the war, insisting that Iraq will still need military, economic and political support from Washington after his presidency ends.

Bush has been saying this shit for years and people keep buying it. "The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home." Yet every single report we hear, we hear about how "successful" what we are doing is in Iraq because Bush refuses to release anything negative. But wouldn't that mean we can bring troops home? Noooo, that means they have to stay there longer because they are succeeding!

Only the most gullible of dipshits could believe this crap. "If we are successful, we can bring the troops home, but since we are succeeding, let's keep doing what we are doing and not bring the troops home." How is this not a quagmire? We can't leave if we are failing because then we would fail even more, but we can't leave when we are succeeding either because we are doing so well that we should keep doing it. Is there some third option between "fail" and "succeed" that will allow use to leave Iraq?

Bush is drawing this war out to last indefinitely and the Republican presidential hopefuls are promising to do the exact same thing. Some one needs to put their god damn foot down, in Bush's ass if necessary, and draw up a plan to remove our troops from Iraq, especially since they are being so successful.

He is going to regret that "the more successful we are" line.

The Romney and Giulani people seem dim enough to carry on the Chimp-in-Chiefs rich legacy. They also don't strike me as standing much of a chance against the Hill and Bill show......I'd imagine he just wants to string it out so any overt declaration of disaster is on Democrat time, thus allowing "plausible deniability" for the right when it does eventually happen.

He is going to regret that "the more succesful we are" line.We all knew he was going to claim victory while pulling out..

Um

you didn't hear the part about "IF"?

"IF we continue to see improvement?"

IF can change a lot of things. He can always say, "We didn't see enough improvement so we're staying till we see it."

He can also pull troops home only to declare another surge is necessary.

Don't start celebrating yet.

Um

you didn't hear the part about "IF"?

"IF we continue to see improvement?"

IF can change a lot of things. He can always say, "We didn't see enough improvement so we're staying till we see it."
I see this as the first step, once you take the first step.. the next steps are easier to take.

the end of this murderous War is that much closer.

And they said Kerry was a flip flopper.

This is the first step towards the end of this stupid War.

hey goergi, what took you so long?

Um yea....wrong headline. He is to begin to roll back the surge.

Um

you didn't hear the part about "IF"?

"IF we continue to see improvement?"

IF can change a lot of things. He can always say, "We didn't see enough improvement so we're staying till we see it."

He can also pull troops home only to declare another surge is necessary.

Don't start celebrating yet.

Exactly but then, this is an OD thread anyway :D

Um yea....wrong headline. He is to begin to roll back the surge.like I said, I consider it a first step toward the end of this stupid war.

I'd like to point out that if the extra troops really ARE make some progress, then pulling the extra troops back out would actually be stupid.

Then again, if they aren't making extra progress, then it was stupid to send them in the first place.

But we really ought to look at the long-term picture. A stable Iraq will actually have NO effect on global terrorism whatsoever. So pretty much everything we do there is stupid.

That being said, I think I am going to beat my own head about with a frying pan. It actually relieves the pain of trying to understand the Bush Administration. :)

Major Successes of the Iraq War

1. Against all the odds, Bush has not been impeached.

2. Blair managed to quit before he was kicked out.

3. A horrific number of Iraqis have died and a few of them were probably terrorists.

4. Erm...

5. That's it.

Word it however you like, "rolling back the surge" still = bringing troops home. And about god damn time too.

Actually...no. Bringing the troops home means we are totally pulling out of Iraq. That does not seem to be the case here.

Um yea....wrong headline. He is to begin to roll back the surge.

Word it however you like, "rolling back the surge" still = bringing troops home. And about god damn time too.

Um..this pullback of the surge has been planned for quite awhile now and shouldn't be a surprise if you keep up with things...and its actually considered necessary by pretty much all of the military's top brass..Bush really has no choice other than to bring some troops back...this is just being spun into a "withdrawal" type thing for some good publicity...we aren't really bringing home any troops that weren't already expected to be coming home...

Anyone notice that no matter what the Bush administration determines everything as vindication for their policies? Ok, so sectarian violence is up and the vindication is "we've got them holed up in a certain area and it makes our killing more effective." I mean, I've heard of being positive but wtf? It's like the guy who trips over nothing and says "I meant to do that." Just absolute idiocy.

Um..this pullback of the surge has been planned for quite awhile now and shouldn't be a surprise if you keep up with things...and its actually considered necessary by pretty much all of the military's top brass..Bush really has no choice other than to bring some troops back...this is just being spun into a "withdrawal" type thing for some good publicity...we aren't really bringing home any troops that weren't already expected to be coming home...

Exactly.

the planets must be aligned or something thats twice today I've had people agree with me on here..whats even more sad...is I am conservative...and I'm calling bush on a PR twist...

Hooray! We won!

Hooray! We won!

For the love of god..or whatever you hold sacred please tell me you are being sarcastic...

For the love of god..or whatever you hold sacred please tell me you are being sarcastic...

I doubt he is.

Me too...such a sad time we live in...

Indeed.

Me too...such a sad time we live in...

we aren't really bringing home any troops that weren't already expected to be coming home...I expect all troop to come home.
well.. at least the ones that do not lose at the IED lottery.

I expect all troop to come home.
well.. at least the ones that do not lose at the IED lottery.

Well they are all not coming home.

Well they are all not coming home.like I said, some are going to stay.. forever.

like I said, some are going to stay.. forever.

Once again, OD is wrong.

He is going to regret that "the more successful we are" line.

No he isn't. Shrub knows regret and remorse no more than he knows how to speak gramatically.


Also, the so-called "withdrawl" will still leave troop levels at higher than they were pre-surge.

I doubt he is.

Oh, come on. Give me some credit. Of course I was being sarcastic.