Military

Bush set to pull out 60,000 troops

November 23, 2005 ⋅  E-Mail Article ⋅  Print Article ⋅ Post a comment

Many have been asking for it and now they may soon get it. There are reports now circulating that president Bush plans to pull out around 60000 troops in Iraq during 2006.

There has been vigorous debate from long tenured and well respected congressman in Washington, this past week, who are demanding a withdrawal plan, or at least a timetable, for the reduction of American troops in Iraq. Bush has conceded to these individuals by stating that he will consider troop reductions for the coming years. However, do not become overly excited just yet.

What is not being widely reported is that Bush is tempering his statements by placing caveats for the circumstances that will allow the reductions to occur. Before the reductions can begin Bush wants to see a continuous reduction in violence throughout all of the Iraqi provinces, he also wants a well developed and trained Iraqi security force in place, and lastly he wants the new Iraqi government firmly in position with a strong control of the country.

Given the recent happenings in the country these goals appear to be very lofty. I believe if we had the true picture of how daily life really is in Iraq we could be more supportive, or pessimistic, regarding this news. Many of us only get our knowledge of the situation through second hand news sources, and many news agencies now put their political spin on the report they file. One thing we must always remember is that these brave soldiers do not wear an elephant or a donkey on their sleeve, they wear an American flag, and each time you debate their fate you must remember you are discussing someone’s mother, brother, sister, or father, not your next political candidate. I for one would never wish to reduce our forces to a level where the ones there are overburdened or under protected.

However, I feel that what we set out to do we have done and it is time to have Iraq stand up on its own two feet and let the Iraqi citizens take control of their own country. I will take the comments at face value and be very happy for our brave soldiers who are proudly and efficiently carrying out their assigned missions regardless of the opinions people have about the Iraq post-war issue. I hope the same Americans who have been vigilant in calling for a troop reduction are calling for this reduction because it is the right thing to do at this time and not because it can sway a few votes here or there.

Bush set to pull out 60,000 troops

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