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Hardrock69
11-28-2005, 10:03 AM
Troop Cuts After 12/15? What BS! It's Stealth Escalation


By Dave Lindorff
11-24-5


The Pentagon can only get away with calling the idea of cutting back the level of troops in Iraq from the current 155,000 to "just" 138,000 because of the total lack of historical context that prevails in today's mainstream newsrooms.

138,000 was the level of troops the US had in Iraq until a few months ago, when the level of attacks on them rose to such an extent that the Pentagon decided it had to add troops, using the looming Dec. 15 elections as a pretext. At that time, they said the increase was temporary, and that the level would be brought back down after the elections were over.

Now they are acting as if the drawdown following Dec. 15--if it actually happens--will be a reduction in troop levels, when in fact it would be no such thing--just a return to "normal" strength.

Equally likely is that the Pentagon knows it will not be able to reduce troop levels after Dec. 15, and is trying to set the stage for keeping the current level, as if making a temporary rise in numbers permanent weren't actually an increase.

We've been through this before, because that's actually what happened last year at this time, when the troop levels were raised on the pretext of the interim government voting and constitution voting. Each escalation was presented as a temporary measure designed to help combat election-linked terror attacks, but each was actually a move to boost troop strength as the situation continues to deteriorate for the U.S. occupation.

Now they're at it again.

The truth: things keep getting worse in Iraq, not better, and the only way to get our troops out of there will be by giving up, admitting that it's a lost cause, and bringing them all home.

If the media don't remember the past, they won't know enough to let readers and viewers know the truth about the present.


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