Bringing Our Troops Home
from Obama's web-site<<Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our
combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq.
He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq,
he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.>>
Sounds good? Here's the World Socialist Web Site's take on Obama and Iraq, published one year ago:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/feb2007/obam-f13.shtmlBush also says the U.S. isn't building "permanent" bases in Iraq. They build "enduring" bases.
I also wondered at keeping troops to protect the embassy and diplomats - - is there any other country in the world, where the U.S. keeps troops on hand (apart from a ceremonial Marine honour guard) to protect the embassy and the diplomats? It was my understanding that if the locals were unwilling or unable to protect the U.S. embassy and its diplomats, the U.S. had no business maintaining a diplomatic presence there.
And, as did the World Socialists, I noted the qualifier, "combat," as in "withdraw all combat troops." What other troops would be left in Iraq and how many of them?
Does anyone here remember The Who's classic, "We Won't Get Fooled Again?"
Why is nobody prepared to put the hard questions to Obama, to test his "anti-war" views?
1. In what other countries does the U.S. maintain troops to protect the Embassy and the diplomats?
2. What's the maximum number of troops kept for that purpose in any other country?
2a What numerical limit would you place on the number of troops required to protect the embassy and diplomats?
2b If the locals are unwilling or unable to protect U.S. embassy and diplomats, what is the advantage to the U.S. in maintaining any embassy or diplomats there at all?
3. What are the "U.S. strategic interests" in Iraq and in the region that you feel require military force to protect?
4. Why the distinction between withdrawal of all "combat troops" and withdrawal of "all troops?"
5. How many troops other than "combat troops" would be left behind? What would their function be?
This guy seems to be getting a huge pass from the MSM on his "anti-war" position. Looks like they are setting this up so that the genuine anti-war feeling of the U.S. public gets cheated once again by a phony anti-war candidate who will continue the same failed policies once in power.