Will the US Withdraw from Iraq Before the End of Bush's Term?

No, I don't think so. Bush wants to stay the course, and Congress is willing to let him as long as he takes all the blame for it. I haven't seen a desire from leadership in either branch to end the war.

 

that depends on what you mean by withdraw. a complete and total withdraw? not a chance. but we should see a decrease in the number of troops, specifically the combat units.

special forces, and the support units will remain for many many years. we've been in kurdistan for what, 20 years? korea for 50? i predict a full withdraw by 2040.

 

There will be some sort of withdrawal and political resolution.

Troops will remain....as they have throughout the region. But the new administration (Democrat or Republican) will not want this conflict to be front and centre for their tenure.

A changing of the guard is a good time to sweep old messes under the carpet.

 

Oh hell no. We're never leaving Iraq. That's why the US military is building 14 permanent bases there. We haven't even started stealing their oil yet.

 

I don't think we will steal their oil. We are more clever than that.

We will open up their oil processing industry to foreign companies (ie US/UK companies). It is more lucrative to make money by selling services in an exorbitant price than stealing their oil. Not to mention it is more moral to do so.

 

At least you should add 20 more years to make it 2060. We are still in Japan and Germany since the 1940s. We won't leave until our economy collapses and we can't afford to have troops over there.

 

No chance in hell

Rocket River

 

We'll still have troops in Iraq on Jan. 21st, 2039.

 

no way he pulls out the troops

there will be always a reason in his mind to keep the troops for another amount of time....

I think the devil got to his heart, he lost it totally

 

Impeachment is the only way.

 

The traitor Pelosi said impeachment is off the table. Nuking Iran though is still on the table.

 

nice

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Petraeus: September Report On Escalation Will Not Say ‘Anything Definitive’

Offering another sign that the administration plans to continue its escalation of the war in Iraq into 2008, U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus now says that he will not have “anything definitive” to say about the war in his September review.

On April 26, Petraeus told reporters that “in early September” he “would provide an assessment of the situation in Iraq with respect to our mission and offer recommendations on the way ahead.” But in an interview with CNN reporter Jane Arraf for IraqSlogger, Petraeus says, “Come September, I don’t think we’ll have anything definitive in September (although) certainly we’ll have some indicators on the political side in Iraq.”

Other recent signs that Bush is planning a long-term escalation:

– Last week, the Pentagon “notified more than 35,000 soldiers and Marines to be prepared to deploy to Iraq beginning this fall, a move that would allow commanders to maintain the ongoing buildup of troops through the end of the year if needed.” [Link]

– The New York Times reported in late April, “The timelines [that Bush officials] are now discussing suggest that the White House may maintain the increased numbers of American troops in Iraq well into next year.” [Link]

– In early March, the Times reported that Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the day-to-day commander of American forces in Iraq, had recommended in a private memo that Bush’s increased troop levels “be maintained through February 2008.” Odierno also said in January that “even with the additional American troops,” it might take another ‘two or three years’ for American and Iraqi forces to gain the upper hand in the war.” [Link; Link]

http://thinkprogress.org/