Iraq HeadLyings!

posted by The Sailor @ 6:45 PM Permalink

None of these things are like the others:

White House Is Said to Debate ’08 Cut in Iraq Combat Forces by 50%

The Bush administration is developing what are described as concepts for reducing American combat forces in Iraq by as much as half next year, according to senior administration officials in the midst of the internal debate.
[...]
Still, there is no indication that Mr. Bush is preparing to call an early end to the current troop increase, and one reason officials are talking about their long-range strategy may be to blunt pressure from members of Congress, including some Republicans, who are pushing for a more rapid troop reduction.

Oh, I get it, they're just doing it, even tho they know there is no chance of it happening under Bush, because it might help them win the next election.

And then reality dick slaps them in the face (uhh, you knew I meant Cheney, right?):

Bush Could Double Force by Christmas

The Bush administration is quietly on track to nearly double the number of combat troops in Iraq this year, an analysis of Pentagon deployment orders showed Monday.
[...]
The actions could boost the number of combat soldiers from 52,500 in early January to as many as 98,000 by the end of this year if the Pentagon overlaps arriving and departing combat brigades.

Separately, when additional support troops are included in this second troop increase, the total number of U.S. troops in Iraq could increase from 162,000 now to more than 200,000 — a record-high number — by the end of the year.

And then of course there's this:

Iraq likely to miss goals set by U.S.

U.S. military leaders in Iraq are increasingly convinced that most of the broad political goals President Bush laid out early this year in his announcement of a troop buildup will not be met this summer and are seeking ways to redefine success.

Get that last bit? Apparently Bush will declare Victory! by changing the definition of winning. Jeebus, George Aiken did that comedic bit about Vietnam over 30 years ago:"the US should declare victory and bring the troops home."

Labels: Headlyings, Iraq war