Based on all this and on the further progress we believe we can achieve over the next few months, I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level of brigade combat teams by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains that we have fought so hard to achieve.
CNN points out that Bush will be announcing troop withdrawals from Iraq, possibly in his upcoming statement to America, Thursday, 9/12/07 at 9:01pm ET:
President Bush is expected this week to announce his plans for cutting back U.S. troop numbers in Iraq, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in the country, told Congress this week he could see troop numbers sliding by 30,000 -- which would reduce the number of troops to pre-surge levels -- by July 2008.
Administration officials did not specifically say the president would use the 30,000 figure -- but one said he would "make clear there are challenges ahead in Iraq, but also enough progress" to reduce troop levels.
The announcement could come when Bush addresses the nation on television Thursday at 9:01 p.m. ET. The address is expected to last 10 to 15 minutes. The White House on Tuesday requested air time for the remarks.
Bush ordered nearly 30,000 additional troops to Iraq in January -- a move known as "the surge" -- in an effort to pacify Baghdad and its surrounding provinces amid rampant sectarian and insurgent warfare.
Petraeus told Congress this week that the first of those units could be sent home in late September, with the rest returning home by mid-July 2008.
Of course all those on the left that criticized Bush for not listening to his commanders on the ground, previously, will still criticize him for listening to his commanders now.
Bush derangemnet syndrome folks, here is the perfect example of it.
Now, just for kicks, lets compare Cenk Uygur's credentials and bio, to General Petraeus'.
Cenk:
Cenk Uygur is co-host of The Young Turks, the new morning show for Air America Radio, 6-9AM ET.
The Young Turks was the first liberal radio show to air nationwide. The program was also the first original talk show for Sirius Satellite Radio. With the move to Air America, the program can now be heard on XM Satellite Radio, as well as, your local Air America station.
The Young Turks is also the first live, internet TV show. The show can be seen 24 hours a day on www.theyoungturks.com.
Described by the Pittsburgh City Paper as “Part Howard Stern, Part Howard Dean,” The Young Turks presents a smart, funny and irreverent take on politics, pop culture and news. A sampling of recent guests include Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Presidential Candidate
Now General Petraeus' bio:
General David H. Petraeus assumed command of the Multi-National Force-Iraq on February 10th, 2007, following his assignment as the Commanding General, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth. Prior to assuming command at Ft. Leavenworth, he was the first commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, which he led from June 2004 to September 2005, and the NATO Training Mission- Iraq, which he commanded from October 2004 to September 2005. That deployment to Iraq followed his command of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), during which he led the “Screaming Eagles” in combat throughout the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His command of the 101st followed a year deployed on Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia, where he was the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations of the NATO Stabilization Force and the Deputy Commander of the US Joint Interagency Counter-Terrorism Task Force-Bosnia. Prior to his tour in Bosnia, he spent two years at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, serving first as the Assistant Division Commander for Operations of the 82nd Airborne Division and then as the Chief of Staff of XVIII Airborne Corps.
General Petraeus was commissioned in the Infantry upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1974. He has held leadership positions in airborne, mechanized, and air assault infantry units in Europe and the United States, including command of a battalion in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and a brigade in the 82nd Airborne Division. In addition, he has held a number of staff assignments: Aide to the Chief of Staff of the Army; battalion, brigade, and division operations officer; Military Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander - Europe; Chief of Operations of the United Nations Force in Haiti; and Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
General Petraeus was the General George C. Marshall Award winner as the top graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Class of 1983. He subsequently earned MPA and Ph.D. degrees in international relations from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and later served as an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the US Military Academy. He also completed a fellowship at Georgetown University.
Awards and decorations earned by General Petraeus include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Defense Superior Service Medal, four awards of the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal for valor, the State Department Superior Honor Award, the NATO Meritorious Service Medal, and the Gold Award of the Iraqi Order of the Date Palm. He is a Master Parachutist and is Air Assault and Ranger qualified. He has also earned the Combat Action Badge and French, British, and German Jump Wings. In 2005 he was recognized by the U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s 25 Best Leaders.
So, when it comes to military levels in Iraq, who should President Bush be listening to?
NO BRAINER!!!!!!!!
What a joke these people are.
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