Army Preparing For American Troops In Iraq For 2009

Sometimes I feel like a prophet, but I was highly critical of the recent "disinformation" claim that troop levels from Iraq would be cut. Well, sure enough now it is confirmed by Army Chief Of Staff, Gen. Peter Schoomaker that the Army is preparing for American ground forces, probably comparable to the 138,000 currently, in Iraq for 2009.

Just like Vietnam, America has both feet into Iraq, and now feels that it has too much to lose to simply withdrawal from Iraq. Yet conditions are showing no clear sign of improvement that I see. Many of my previous posts detail problem after problem in Iraq.

But with no clear intent to disarm militias, prevent corruption within the new government, and the inability to restore any semblence of order in Iraq, America soldiers will not be leaving Iraq anytime soon.

No doubt Democrats will attempt to use Iraq as an issue in 2006 and 2008, and probably to some benefit, although nearly all Democrats originally supported this war. While Vietnam turned the 1964 LBJ landslide into a narrow win for Republican Nixon by 1968, Nixon took until 1973 to withdrawal Americans from that war. Democrats will try to politically benefit from Iraq, but will likely follow a similar policy as evidenced by Senator Joe Biden and others. In fact, Democrats may even try to run from the "right" on Iraq policy and think that more American troops in Iraq will help. It won't . The country is a primitive society of militias tht won't disarm, and it was only the fear of the brutality of Saddam Hussein that forced most in Iraq to behave like model citizens. The American role in Iraq is not taken as seriously, and is far less successful.

Probably with either the Democrats or the Republicans, American soldiers will remain in Iraq for a good long time. The situation in Iraq is not likely to improve anytime soon that I see.