Kristol: Let’s ‘Stretch Our Army And Marines’ For ‘Another Year Or So’ In Iraq

[Purveyor]

Source: Think Progress

On Fox News this morning, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol said that the escalation in Iraq should be extended at least “another six months” or even “another year or so.” “Is the cost of losing in Iraq great enough that we need to stretch our Army and Marines for another year or so,” asked Kristol rhetorically. “I think the President’s gonna make that decision.”

Kristol also attempted to spin the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) released yesterday, which described a failure of the escalation to successfully provide sufficient security for Iraqis, heralding it as proof that “the surge clearly is working” and that current troop levels should be maintained for “another six months or so.” Watch it: (VISIT SOURCE LINK)

Kristol’s hawkish desire to “stretch our Army and Marines” for “another year or so” is in direct contradiction to the recommendations of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff, whose outgoing chairman, Gen. Peter Pace, “is likely to convey concerns by the Joint Chiefs that keeping well in excess of 100,000 troops in Iraq through 2008 will severely strain the military.”

But disregarding the views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is nothing new for Kristol. In December 2006, when the Bush administration began arguing for the current troop escalation, the Joint Chiefs unanimously disagreed with the strategy. For his part, Kristol has never served in the military and was one of the most cocksure voices pushing for the current escalation strategy.


Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/24/kristol-stretch-year/

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. I cannot figure out why they give that son of a bitch so much air time.

[muntrv]

2. If Kristol enlists in the Army and goes to Iraq, I'll support the "stretch."

[MissWaverly]

3. How are you going to do that Bill, April is breaking point

for our army, that will be the end of the 15 month deployment for how many soldiers who have had multiple deployments there,
the army has agreed not to extend the 15 month deployments so where do you plan to get the troops? Regardless of the next
six months, April WILL be the drawn down date.

[sakabatou]

4. Why not send Kristol to the front lines?

Make him serve for 4 tours.

[Submariner]

5. THIS is the republican setup job

Extend this travesty another year until Bush is out of office so that when the troops leave they can say the war was lost by the incoming Democratic takeover of the WH and congress, and not a stain of blame on poor lil Georgie.

The Bush junta don't want the history books to say we got out of Iraq during Bush's watch, it's all about blaming the other guy....the poor Troops be damned as far as the chickenhawks are concerned.

[rodeodance]

8. yup---that is the strategy

[TwilightGardener]

6. Did we elect him? Did he work his way up the chain of command

at the Pentagon? Why the fuck would anybody take his recommendations with anything more than a grain of salt? What relevant experience does he have to draw on to make such statements--being a pundit?

[rodeodance]

7. hey, I would like to see him on one of those old fashioned stretch machines!