posted on February 20, 2007 07:26:53 PM
I'd have expected that you would be more informed than you admit to here, profe.
Perhaps you might try to get informed also.
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on February 20, 2007 08:15:54 PM
British to start pulling troops from Iraq
By Thomas Wagner
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce on Wednesday a new timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, with 1,500 to return home in several weeks, the BBC reported.
Blair will also tell the House of Commons during his regular weekly appearance before it that a total of about 3,000 British soldiers will have left southern Iraq by the end of 2007, if the security there is sufficient, the British Broadcasting Corp. said, quoting government officials who weren’t further identified.
The BBC said Blair was not expected to say when the rest of Britain’s forces would leave Iraq. Currently, Britain has about 7,100 soldiers there.
Britain has long been the most important coalition member in Iraq after the United States. But Blair knows the British public and politicians from his own Labour Party want the troops out as quickly as possible, and don’t want to see Britain stick with the United States in Iraq for the long haul.
John Kerry on Britain's phased withdrawal: “America’s leading ally in Iraq has decided that a timetable for the phased redeployment of troops is the only responsible policy to help force Iraqis to stand up for Iraq. After years of touting Prime Minister Blair’s resolve, the Administration should now pay attention to his new policy. This announcement makes it all the more inexplicable that the President and leading Republicans actually want to send more American troops into the middle of an Iraqi civil war.”
Maybe they want to avoid the U.S. war with Iran. In the meantime, wealthy oil states of the Persian Gulf are going on a shopping spree for helicopters, ships and tanks.
posted on February 20, 2007 09:22:24 PM
It's been Bush's war from the beginning and he started it by almost giving the rest of the world the finger. He still thinks he knows what's best and doesn't want to listen to the advice of others so let this be his war to the end. The sad thing is that so many have suffered and will continue to do so because of his idiocy. Someone should drop a report on his desk about all the horrors that the women in Iraq have to endure now and insist he read it and I wonder if he'll still smirk and think he knows best.
posted on February 20, 2007 09:51:11 PM
IF any of you liberal ladies would review what's been discussed in the past, not only on these threads, but in the news.....you MIGHT remember that they have planned on pulling out beginning in MAY of this year for a long, long time.
This is NOT earth shattering news. LOL
Again, remember back to how Iraq was divided among the 'coalilition of the willing' and you might remember that they took the southern part of Iraq.
Well....contrary to what you hear in the liberals news media....the southern part of Iraq is NOW being taken care of by the Iraqi's themselves. So the need for the Brits to stay there is almost over.
They did what all have been working to do....train the Iraqi's to deal with it themselves. They have accomplished their goals.....and all the articles that now rehash their end of 2007 withdrawal.....are also saying 'IF conditions warrant it'.
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on February 21, 2007 06:20:24 AM
Helen, you still believe any thing Kerry says after all the flip flopping he has done?
Personally I believe the Brits have supported the US more that any other nations, their scheduled withdrawal tells me their presence and support is ebbing, so why not return home?
It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.George S. Patton
posted on February 21, 2007 06:38:44 AM
Prof, doesnt look like a total withdrawal.
Britain details plans to cut back in Iraq
Associated Press
LONDON — Britain will withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq in the "coming months," aiming to cut its force to below 5,000 by late summer if Iraqi forces can secure the southern part of the country, Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday.
British troops will stay in Iraq until at least 2008 and work to secure the Iran-Iraq border and maintain supply routes to U.S. and coalition troops in central Iraq, Blair told the House of Commons.
"The actual reduction in forces will be from the present 7,100 — itself down from over 9,000 two years ago and 40,000 at the time of the conflict — to roughly 5,500," Blair said.
He told lawmakers that "increasingly our role will be support and training, and our numbers will be able to reduce accordingly."
Blair said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had agreed to the plan.
Dependent on Iraqi capability Britain would draw down further, "possibly to below 5,000" once a base at Basra Palace is transferred to Iraqi control in late summer, Blair said.
"What all of this means is not that Basra is how we want it to be. But it does mean that the next chapter in Basra's history can be written by Iraqis," Blair said.
Denmark also said Wednesday it will withdraw its 460-member contingent from southern Iraq by August. The decision had been made with the Iraqi government and Britain, under whose command the Danish forces are serving near Basra, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. He added that Denmark would replace the troops with surveillance helicopters and civilian advisers.
And a government spokeswoman in Lithuania said the Baltic nation is "seriously considering" withdrawing its 53 troops from Iraq.
Defense Ministry spokeswoman Ruta Apeitkyte told The Associated Press that the Baltic country was considering not replacing the contingent when its mission ends in August.
Blair and President Bush talked by secure video link Tuesday about the proposals, U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. Bush views Britain's troop cutbacks as "a sign of success" in Iraq, he said.
"While the United Kingdom is maintaining a robust force in southern Iraq, we're pleased that conditions in Basra have improved sufficiently that they are able to transition more control to the Iraqis," Johndroe said.
Blair said "the situation in Basra is very different from Baghdad — there is no Sunni insurgency, no al-Qaida base, little Sunni on Shia violence," adding that the southern city is nothing like "the challenge of Baghdad."
The Iraqi capital had suffered from an "orgy of terrorism unleashed upon it in order to crush any possibility of it functioning," he said.
"If Baghdad cannot be secured, the future of the country is in peril. The enemies of Iraq understand that. We understand it," Blair said.
Besides the United States, Britain and Denmark, the major partners in the coalition include South Korea (2,300 troops), Poland (900), Australia and Georgia (both 800) and Romania (600), according to the Brookings Institution.
The U.S., meanwhile, is implementing an increase of 21,000 more troops for Iraq, mostly in and around the capital. Analysts claim there is little point in boosting forces in the largely Shiite south of Iraq, where most non-U.S. coalition troops are concentrated.
Yet as more countries draw down or pull out, it could create a security vacuum if radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stirs up trouble.
A British withdrawal is not likely to have much effect on the stepped-up U.S. operation in Baghdad or the war against the Sunni-led insurgency focusing on Anbar province west of the Iraqi capital.
"We want to bring our troops homes as well," Johndroe said. "It's the model we want to emulate, to turn over more responsibilities to Iraqis and bring our troops home. That's the goal and always has been."
Blair, who has said he will step down by September after a decade in power, has seen his foreign-policy record overshadowed by his role as Bush's leading ally in the unpopular war.
As recently as last month, Blair rejected opposition calls to withdraw British troops by October, calling such a plan irresponsible.
"That would send the most disastrous signal to the people that we are fighting in Iraq. It's a policy that, whatever its superficial attractions may be, is actually deeply irresponsible," Blair said on Jan. 24.
posted on February 21, 2007 09:07:49 AM
""""IF any of you liberal ladies would review what's been discussed in the past, not only on these threads, but in the news.....you MIGHT remember that they have planned on pulling out beginning in MAY of this year for a long, long time.
This is NOT earth shattering news. LOL
Again, remember back to how Iraq was divided among the 'coalilition of the willing' and you might remember that they took the southern part of Iraq.
Well....contrary to what you hear in the liberals news media....the southern part of Iraq is NOW being taken care of by the Iraqi's themselves. So the need for the Brits to stay there is almost over.
They did what all have been working to do....train the Iraqi's to deal with it themselves. They have accomplished their goals.....and all the articles that now rehash their end of 2007 withdrawal.....are also saying 'IF conditions warrant it'.""""
So the British did a much better job of it than the "World's Greatest Country" ?
Now, everybody listen, ...if linduh posts anything over 3 minutes old let's remind her that it's OLD news and SHE doesn't allow that !
posted on February 21, 2007 09:22:28 AM
I understand sybil, you just can't see the differences in the two different areas of Iraq...tsk tsk tsk
And yes, the brits withdrawal has been noted in the press for a long long time. This is nothing more than the media working to make it look like they're pulling out because conditions are just so terrible. lol When the actual TRUTH is - it's just the opposite. It's because the Iraq army has been doing exactly what we wanted them to do....take control themselves.
=============
""We want to bring our troops homes as well," Johndroe said. "It's the model we want to emulate, to turn over more responsibilities to Iraqis and bring our troops home. That's the goal and always has been."
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on February 21, 2007 09:27:16 AM
"""Yet as more countries draw down or pull out, it could create a security vacuum if radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stirs up trouble.
A British withdrawal is not likely to have much effect on the stepped-up U.S. operation in Baghdad or the war against the Sunni-led insurgency focusing on Anbar province west of the Iraqi capital.
"We want to bring our troops homes as well," Johndroe said. "It's the model we want to emulate, to turn over more responsibilities to Iraqis and bring our troops home. That's the goal and always has been."
Blair, who has said he will step down by September after a decade in power, has seen his foreign-policy record overshadowed by his role as Bush's leading ally in the unpopular war.
As recently as last month, Blair rejected opposition calls to withdraw British troops by October, calling such a plan irresponsible."""
I don't know why you keep referring to me as "Sybil"...it just shows you don't know much about the real sybil's multiple personalities...I have, like many others, multiple IDs, not multiple personalities. Why are you so ignorant?
posted on February 21, 2007 04:35:16 PM.....you MIGHT remember that they have planned on pulling out beginning in MAY of this year for a long, long time. This is NOT earth shattering news. LOL
I find it a little ironic that there are some here that don't find a problem with "the coalition of the willing" forces withdrawing their troops and setting a timetable in which to do it. Yet when it is suggested that American forces withdrawal by a certain date all of a sudden it is helping the enemy.
It is just the typical hypocritical mantra from the right.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 21, 2007 04:36:51 PM
In case you were wondering what the troop levels were for other countries, here is a link for that information.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_orbat_coalition.htm
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 21, 2007 06:06:46 PM
For countries who have pulled their troops from Iraq already see list below. I am sure I missed some countries like Denmark?
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush has been informed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair that Britain is to begin withdrawing its troops from Iraq, National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said here Tuesday.
For the first time since Vietnam, an organized, robust movement of active-duty US military personnel has publicly surfaced to oppose a war in which they are serving. Those involved plan to petition Congress to withdraw American troops from Iraq.
Ukraine Withdraw-ed Troops From Iraq Yushchenko
Italy to complete troops withdrawal from Iraq by end of 2006:
Bulgaria to withdraw troops from Iraq in 2005
Tokyo did bring troops home from Iraq - Asia - Pacific ...
Honduras Withdraw-ed Troops From Iraq
If you know of more countries help complete the list.
posted on February 22, 2007 04:44:45 AM
mingotree,
I bet the Eritreans had a General and a Private just so BUSHY could say we have the top military minds from around the World.
BUSHY will soon be retired living in Disgrace of a failed Presidency.
posted on February 22, 2007 08:05:08 AM
ironic he who believes that Bush doesn't approve of this war' LOL LOL LOL
Nope...the papers have been reporting on who's leaving when for years now. Try and keep up.
==========
Don't worry about the troops that are leaving....we're sending in more of our own.
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on February 22, 2007 10:37:39 AMironic he who believes that Bush doesn't approve of this war' LOL LOL LOL
This coming from the person that does not know that Hillary is US Senator, who furthermore does not know the difference between a person's opinion and what is printed in an article Linda_K what is she thinking.
Bush does not we can not win the war. He said so in an interview with Matt Lauer.
Lauer: So I’m just saying can we win it? Do you see that?
President Bush: I don’t think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world — let's put it that way.
If he believes we can not win the war, then why is sending more troops.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 22, 2007 02:48:37 PM
ROFLMHO....that certainly WASN'T the so called proof you offered before, when you were trying to use the other QUOTE...lol lol
Now you're switching quotes...but still a coward to post the link so we can have a look at the WHOLE interview.
You're a total FRAUD 'he who believes Bush didn't APPROVE of this war
Notice the CHANGE in what's being discussed???? Him approving VS him supposedly saying we can't win it
How totally stupid you are.
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on February 22, 2007 08:00:54 PMNow you're switching quotes...
Not switching, but ADDING A NEW QUOTE. Was that to difficult for you to follow?
but still a coward to post the link so we can have a look at the WHOLE interview.
What's the matter, the poor google queen can not find the entire interview on her own You might have to turn in your google card.
Why do I need to post the entire interview, when it is clear as day, Bush said "WE CAN NOT WIN"
Is that difficult for you and your drugged up mind to comprehend.
him supposedly saying we can't win it
AS DIFFICULT AS IT IS FOR YOU TO BELIEVE IT. BUSH DID SAY IT.
ARE YOU GOING TO DENY IT when it is printed in BLACK AND WHITE.
How totally stupid you are.
A lot smarter than you are. Do I need to list your smarter moments from the past week.
1) You trying to convince your friends that people in Canada speak CANADIAN. You were WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.
2)You were the one that did not know the difference between what was posted in an article and a person's comments. NOW HOW STUPID IS THAT
3)Now you are denying Bush said we can not win, when it was said by him and the actual transcript of the interview is available for anyone to see.
4)You taking the word of the eneny over supporting the troops that have actually fought in the Vietnam and Iraq wars. How anti-American can one people.
You can continue making an ass of yourself, all you want Linda. You did it since day one when you joined the OTWA. You were just lucky you did not get kicked off that board earlier in your posting days like your friends pie and colin did.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 22, 2007 08:04:36 PM
LOL...you're the one who won't prove anything you say someone else said, he 'who believes Bush doesn't approve of the war'. LOL
I think you too need to take a 'chill pill' you're losing it BIG TIME.
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on February 23, 2007 07:00:13 AMWell....contrary to what you hear in the liberals news media....the southern part of Iraq is NOW being taken care of by the Iraqi's themselves. So the need for the Brits to stay there is almost over.
Better think again:
Declare victory and go home. That's what the British are doing in Basra. So why is Basra listed by the Pentagon as "not ready for transition?" And why, if the British can still call Basra a victory and go home...can't we call Iraq a victory and go home?
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 23, 2007 07:03:24 AMyou're the one who won't prove anything you say
The proof was already given. I can't help it that your feeble brain can not process the truth. Bush said: "we can not win". Believe what you want. If you want to believe the people of Canada speak CANADIAN go ahead. But you can hide from the facts. You have an IQ of a dead fetus.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 23, 2007 12:08:04 PM
mingo said, WHAT area of Iraq is doing so well....???Where??? Who????
I also ask the cons for good Iraq news on my update of Iraq SURGE post,all I get from them is stupidity,name calling and BOLG posts. Looks to me like the cons are running on EMPTY?
posted on February 23, 2007 03:03:35 PM
That's just not true 'waco'...you're lying again. I posted in that thread ....the fact that you can't see it...or don't have the ability to read it...is YOUR problem. But that doesn't mean it's not there. LOL LOL LOL LOL
And listen to these three, who PROFESS to support our troops....but they just don't BELIEVE a thing the commanders tell us. tsk tsk tsk
Somehow....I just don't see that as giving them support. Heck 'waco' doesn't even want to be bothered to read our troops on the grounds postings.
And he's informed???? lOL LOL LOL LOL SURE he is. NOT
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
