I am not sure Bush will recommend a surge---sending thousands more. KO

[rodeodance]

briefly hit on this Topic a few nights ago. There is a lot of speculation out there.

And yesterday someone asked if anyone knew of new troop call ups.
Just wondering. Any thoughts from you all?

[alfredo]

1. There is talk of all the ships converging in the Gulf.

[rodeodance]

2. yes,i read that. Could be that any build up would be slow.

[alfredo]

4. I want those ships there to carry our troops back home.

The extra troops will be there to help us fight our way south and safety.

[Cooley Hurd]

5. That's for Iran...

[alfredo]

9. Masybe bush's necon handlers have convinced him that we

can win with airpower alone, or that Iran would strike at our forces in Iraq if we bomb their country.

[Shipwack]

6. Actually, you may be on to something...

While the army is stretched thin, the Navy is in much better shape. Yes, I know that the deployment schedules of my former shipmates has gotten steadily worse over the years. While this is hard on the families, they are a 1000 times better off than those men doing a second and third (or even a first) deployment on the ground in Iraq.

Let's think outside the box... What if some of those men for the surge were pulled off the ships in the area? Look at it from a bean-counters perspective. "A carrier has some 8,000 people on board. Surely you don't need -all- of them for one ship? Let some of the sailors pull double watches; we're at war, you know..." I know I've seen stupider decisions come down the pike.

You don't have to tell me how stupid this idea is on several levels. But this is not without precedent. Even now, there are many sailors serving as "Individual Augmentees" in Iraq. The battle for Mexico City was fought with cannon pulled off nearby ships, manned by the ship's crew. In fact, the recent appointment of an admiral for over-all command now makes a bit more sense.

I need to get a new tin foil hat, obviously.... Someone tell me I'm crazy.

[alfredo]

8. How much training do they have at fighting an urban

guerrilla war?

[Shipwack]

12. Lots of urban combat training...

If you count intense games of "Rainbow Six", "Call of Duty", and "Battlefield 2". ;)

Sorry... I never said the idea made sense (or was an effective use of manpower, resources and training), just that that was the brain dead sort of thing I'd expect to see from Bush Jr and his boot-licking toadies on the Joint Chiefs.

And it's the only way he'll get more than 10,000 additional troops on the ground.

Actually, if guerrilla war experience and training was all that important, a lot of National Guard units would never have been sent over there. :/

[alfredo]

15. Bush needs to be removed from office. He's just too willing to

send our kids to their death.

The choice is the lives of our kids or bush's self image.

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. You can bet at least 10,000, maybe 20,000.

He has no other choice.

[salin]

7. the talk seems to have scaled back to 7,000 - 8,000

[bigtree]

10. Bush will definitely try to send more soldiers

It looks like he'll try to keep them there for as least a year and a half.

my take (suffering from lack of kicks):


Sacrificing Our Soldiers To Surge Forward In Iraq
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=3052899&mesg_id=3052899

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[wjmj]

11. Are we to believe a liar?

Remember, a second a carrier was deployed to the Gulf in December, and with the Navy taking command of the war in Iraq, I'm wary of any blather fomenting from any pipe dreaming MSM, or any barbarian Republican, or any born again fork tongue, or from anyone who takes any message from the Decider and his fraud-riddled minnions as truth. These human-racist pigs are absolute fornicators of truth; to take them seriously in any form other than for the harm they do the entire world lends aid and comfort to these traitors. Oh, sure, they are serious and their work product does touch all us, but nothing coming from their brimstone mouths has ever been the truth.

My thinking tells me the surge is coming in by way of full blown naval warfare. If I were an Iraqi Sunni or Shiite civilian, I'd ask the Kurds for forgiveness and go live with them. There'a a major offensive in the making, and its tsunami is gonna hurt bunches of heartland folk here and there.

[newyawker99]

13. Hi wjmj!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[wjmj]

17. Howdee.

Nice of you to note me.

[leftchick]

14. I have been hearing helicopters at night

for weeks now. Well, actually in the wee hours of the morning, I have been hearing groups of copters flying overhead and assumed it was some military move to Ft. Bragg. I heard it again yesterday.

:(

[elfin]

16. Oh Yes He Will

Now that he has Petraeus (sp?) on board. P is (was?) is the most capable person in the mess ---- but it is now too late, despite P's hopes and abilities and Dumbya's delusions.

P can work short term sucesesses - just enough to lay it off on the next admin. Then it all falls down - so the Shithead doesn't take the fall while in office.