Thread: Obama will keep atleast 50,000 troops in Iraq at 58 military bases

Obama Adviser Calls for 60,000-80,000 U.S. Troops To Stay in Iraq Through 2010 - April 4, 2008 - The New York Sun

Although the specific timelines should be the byproduct of negotiations and conditions on the ground.


Is Obama’s Iraq Timetable Dead Before It Starts?

Posted November 7, 2008

From its earliest stages the Obama campaign made a timetable for Iraq’s pullout a top priority promise. With another 74 days until he even takes office and the current administration’s rational for keeping the troops in place faltering fast, what he assured the voters would be his first action upon taking office may have already fallen by the wayside.

Obama had initially spoken of a 16-month timetable for removing all combat troops from Iraq, but later predicated that on assessments from military commanders. Now it seems, with violence down and Iraq eager to set a deadline to be rid of the troops, the senior commanders are going to tell Obama that his 16-month timetable is “physically impossible.�

This would seem to explain the assurances from US Ambassador Ryan Crocker and assessments from Iraqi officials predicting that there will be no significant changes to the current administration’s Iraq policies when Obama takes over. One Iraqi official explained the perception by saying “most of Obama’s speeches were only for campaigning.�

Promises are made to be broken, it would seem. But with the ink on the paper ballots scarcely dry from Tuesday’s election and over two months remaining until the new President-elect is inaugurated, it would be awfully soon for the centerpiece promise of his campaign to be dead in the water.

Will Obama Have to Adjust His Timetable on Iraq? - Yahoo! News

In case you missed it..


The roots of US interests in Iraq were explained by the editors at the Washington Post: "While the United States has an interest in preventing the resurgence of the Afghan Taliban, the country's strategic importance pales beside that of Iraq, which lies at the geopolitical center of the Middle East and contains some of the world's largest oil reserves."

Mr. Obama in Iraq - washingtonpost.com

For US planners, it is imperative that Iraq remain under U.S. control, as client state that will house U.S. military bases, right at the heart of the world's major energy reserves.

The Iraqi resistance is making it more difficult for the US to install a client regime, but these goals have not been abandoned. US power centers are doing whatever they can to control Iraq. Since World War II the US has recognized that the energy resources of the Middle East are “a stupendous source of strategic power.� Eisenhower described the Gulf region as being “most strategically important area of the world becouse of its strategic position and resources." George Kennan said controling this stupendous source of strategic power gives the US "veto power" over what rivals might do.

Zbigniew Brzezinski said "America has major strategic and economic interests in the Middle East that are dictated by the region's vast energy supplies. Not only does America benefit economically from the relatively low costs of Middle Eastern oil, but America's security role in the region gives it indirect but politically critical leverage on the European and Asian economies that are also dependent on energy exports from the region."

The Choice: Global Domination Or ... - Google Book Search

The US goal is to maintain Iraq as a client state and base for US power in the region, with privileged access to its resources for the Western (primarily US) oil companies.

These intentions were outlined in the Declaration of Principles. It permits US forces to remain indefinitely in Iraq. It also commits Iraq to "facilitate and encourage the flow of foreign investments to Iraq, especially American investments".

Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship Between the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America

In a signing statement, Bush declared that he will ignore legislation that forbids the US of “any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq,� and will also ignore any legislation that forbids US actions “to exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq.�

Bush commits troops to Iraq for the long term | World news | The Guardian

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/wa...ng.html?ref=us

The Pentagon is continuing to build military bases around the country, all funded by the Democrat controlled Congress. These bases arent being built to be abandoned.

If the U.S. is ultimately leaving Iraq, why is the military building 'permanent' bases?

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 06/09/2008 | U.S. seeking 58 bases in Iraq, Shiite lawmakers say

Revealed: Secret plan to keep Iraq under US control - Middle East, World - The Independent

Iraqis Condemn American Demands For Nearly 60 Military Bases

Pure speculation. You have no evidence that Obama has any plans to modify his timeline for withdrawl. None.

Originally Posted by Bourne

Pure speculation. You have no evidence that Obama has any plans to modify his timeline for withdrawl. None.

He always said he would keep residual and backup brigades in Iraq which would be atleast 50,000 troops. This is in line with the imperial strategy to establish military bases for the purpose of "maintaing our influence".

I said it before, there is no change under a dictatorship!!!

Originally Posted by michaelr

I said it before, there is no change under a dictatorship!!!

This is not a dictatorship, stop fooling yourself.

Why don't you just leave the US?

Frankly, I'm more interested in the SOFA that's going on now.

What's up with that?

If BushCo gets that thing signed before they leave office, then our hands'll be tied and there won't be much we can do. We won't be ABLE to leave, even if we wanted to!

50k does not sound unreasonable for the "immediate" term, but how do the Iraqis feel about that? Seems to me, 50k is a whole lot better than 150k, but on the other hand, how do the Iraqis feel about that?

You do realize, that our little land grab, has ENRAGED a large part of Syria, Jordan, Iran, the 'Stans, and Muslims all over the world, most importantly in places like Pakistan and Somalia and Algeria and so on.

So, like, "the forces" that earlier took a little tiny portion of their land right along the coast, now just took a much LARGER portion of it inland, in the cradle of what they consider to be civilization....

And I am AWARE, that Shia feel quite differently about our boy Obama, than the Sunni do.

This will not be a simple equation at ALL. Bushie sure opened up a can o' worms here....

Originally Posted by Ausinus

This is not a dictatorship, stop fooling yourself.

Why don't you just leave the US?

I am a vet, I think I will fight for my country, not your so called government. Why do you not grow up?

Originally Posted by michaelr

I am a vet, I think I will fight for my country, not your so called government. Why do you not grow up?

If growing up means becoming a grumpy nationalist prick who doesnt get what the word "democratic republic" means then no thankyou.

Originally Posted by Ausinus

If growing up means becoming a grumpy nationalist prick who doesnt get what the word "democratic republic" means then no thankyou.

What ever makes you gay...err happy.