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[rayzentz AT aim.com]

You are surprised?



I figure the pullout, removal of all troops, should happen right after we 
pull out of Germany, or Japan.  After all, We have had troops there for over 
60 years now.



Ray


-----Original Message-----
From: bob ford <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 5:42 am
Subject: [Homestead] Change ? Hardly ..




>From the WSJ , referencing an  article in the NYT rag, all concluding what 
hose of us who were honest with ourselves said all along.  BO already 
cknowleding thousands and thousands of troops will remain in Iraq for who 
knows 
ow many years. 
Watch for some of his swooning cheerleaders to once again make excuses.  Just 
tart calling him "Bush light" .......................
--------------------------------------------------------------------
'Muted by Reality' Now that Obama has won, we could be in Iraq for a hundred 
ears.
 
y JAMES TARANTO
Barack Obama was elected president a month ago and does not take office for 
nother 6½ weeks. But his most fervent supporters already have reason to be 
isappointed in him. Witness the headline of a "news analysis" in today's New 
ork Times: "Campaign Promises on Ending the War in Iraq Now Muted by Reality."
"As he moves closer to the White House," the Times reveals, "President-elect 
bama is making clearer than ever that tens of thousands of American troops 
will 
e left behind in Iraq, even if he can make good on his campaign promise to 
pull 
ll combat forces out within 1
6 months." That itself is a big "if," as the Times 
cknowledges:
That status-of-forces agreement remains subject to change, by mutual 
agreement, 
nd Army planners acknowledge privately that they are examining projections 
that 
ould see the number of Americans hovering between 30,000 and 50,000--and some 
ay as high as 70,000--for a substantial time even beyond 2011.
e may be in Iraq for a hundred years! The Times notes that "there always was 
a 
ension, if not a bit of a contradiction, in the two parts of Mr. Obama's 
ampaign platform to 'end the war' by withdrawing all combat troops by May 
010":
To be sure, Mr. Obama was careful to say that the drawdowns he was promising 
ncluded only combat troops. But supporters who keyed on the language of 
ending 
he war might be forgiven if they thought that would mean bringing home all of 
he troops.
mm, here is what the Times editorial page said about the subject when it 
ndorsed Obama back in October:

he unnecessary and staggeringly costly war in Iraq must be ended as quickly 
and 
esponsibly as possible.
hile Iraq's leaders insist on a swift drawdown of American troops and a 
eadline for the end of the occupation, Mr. McCain is still talking about some 
ll-defined "victory." As a result, he has offered no real plan for extracting 
merican troops and limiting any further damage to Iraq and its neighbors.
r. Obama was an early and thoughtful opponent of the war in Iraq, and he has 
resented a military and diplomatic plan for withdra
wing American forces. Mr. 
bama also has correctly warned that until the Pentagon starts pulling troops 
ut of Iraq, there will not be enough troops to defeat the Taliban and Al 
Qaeda 
n Afghanistan.

It is awfully generous of the Times to forgive Obama's supporters for 
believing 
hat they read in the Times.
It must be said that not everyone is surprised to find Obama's campaign 
promises 
muted by reality." Those of us who were paying attention to reality before 
Nov. 
 never took Obama's pledge to flee Iraq seriously. Although it is especially 
epugnant to seek political gain by promising to lose a war, it is also common 
or presidential candidates to make unrealistic promises, especially on 
foreign 
olicy, and disregard them once elected. (Remember how George W. Bush was 
going 
o stop "nation building" and Bill Clinton was going to get tough on the Red 
hinese?)
Obama thus is carrying on a long tradition of making empty and irresponsible 
romises. While he may deliver victory in Iraq, his war against cynicism has 
lready been lost. .......................

      
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