Defense Secretary Robert Gates has returned from Baghdad with the news that commanders on the ground are open to a temporary troop surge, the New York Times reports: "Commander Is Called Open to Troop Surge."
But read on. The generals don't sound all that eager.
“They are open to the possibility of some increase in force,” a senior Defense Department official said. “They are supportive of taking steps to support the Iraqis in their plan, including the possible modest augmentation in U.S. combat forces.”
“Nobody has decided anything yet and they have not made a formal recommendation,” the official continued. “They are open to the idea of such an option and are weighing how best to execute it and what the traffic will bear with the Iraqis.” The possible increase in troops, officials said, ranges from fewer than 10,000 to as many as 30,000.
Here's the bottom line:
Politically, winning the support of American generals for the additional troops is crucial to Mr. Bush if he hopes to make the increase part of the new strategy he is expected to announce in early January.
You have to wonder about the kind of pressure they're experiencing:
Some generals appeared notably unenthusiastic.
So, too, you have to wonder how the troops are taking the prospect of the end of rotation. It's said there are no "extra" troops to toss into Iraq. The surge will come from ending rotation for the troops now on the ground or back home for brief visits.
The mighty surge will be made up of exhausted, demoralized, overused kids. Their job will be to make a failed presidency feel better about itself.
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