Boxer Wants Deadline for Leaving Iraq......

[MsUSA]

Sen. Barbara Boxer, back from a visit to Iraq, called on President Bush Tuesday to set a deadline for pulling U.S. troops out of that country and letting the Iraqis handle their own defense.

"If we do not set a date, the signals are very mixed,'' Boxer said in San Francisco. "People will just sit back and let us defend them.''

While U.S. military leaders were both concerned about the growing danger of a lengthy stay in Iraq and confident that the newly trained Iraqi military forces can handle the country's security, Iraqi officials she talked to had their doubts about when their troops would be ready, the California Democrat said.

With the current open-ended commitment of U.S. troops, there's a danger the Iraqis will become too dependent on the U.S. presence, she said.


http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0330-02.htm

[tubbacheez]

1. I perfer the word "timetable" or "schedule".

"Deadline" seems to set the wrong mood, given what's occurred there over the past 2 years.

[AllegroRondo]

2. She makes a good point

If we set a date and hold to it, the Iraqis will work that much harder to get their own security forces trained and organized.

Of course, the Bush response will be "thats sending a bad message to the terrahrists" that all they have to do is wait until XX date and we're gone.

[ArkDem]

3. Maybe we can set a timetable for our forces to leave Europe

while we are at it.

[Dr.Phool]

4. Reality Check

Bush is not going to leave Iraq voluntarily EVER!!!

We are, right now, building 19 PERMANENT military bases there. Does that sound like we're leaving anytime soon?

Also, read the Seymour Hersh interview in the new issue of The Progressive.