Powell: More Troops Isn't The Answer

[Dos Equis]

Video clip of Powell. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/12/17/powell-more-troops-isnt_n_36552.html

[JOHN MATRIX]

we have enough troops, the thing that needs to be changed is how they are being used. let them do what needs to be done.

[Dos Equis]

President Hillary agrees:

Sen. Clinton opposes troop surge in Iraq
By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Sen.        Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday she would not support a short-term increase in U.S. troop presence in        Iraq unless it was part of a more comprehensive plan to stabilize the country.

Clinton also offered the broadest indication yet that she was close to a decision on whether to enter the 2008 Democratic presidential field.

"I want to make sure the decision is right for me, my family, my party and my country," Clinton said during an interview on NBC's "The Today Show." She appeared on the show to promote the rerelease of her best-selling book on child rearing, "It Takes a Village."

The former first lady said she knew more than any other potential candidate how hard it was to be president. "I saw it in an up close and personal way for eight years," she said. She reiterated that she would disclose her decision sometime after the first of the year.

Clinton's comments on the presidential race were her most expansive since winning re-election to the Senate from New York last month. Since then, she has been contacting potential supporters in key early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire, but has said very little publicly about her plans. . . .

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061218/ap_on_go_co/clinton2008

[bmacsys]

we pushed extra troops into baghdad in Oct and as a result had a very bloody month, the second-worst so far, I believe.  bad idea.

We needed more troops along time ago. Namely at the start of the war. Its too late now. You wonder how things would have been different if say, Colin Powell was the secretary of defense instead of dumbsfeld.

[bmacsys]

more troops are great when you're conquering a town.

But when you're just holding down street corners between two warring factions, 10 guys on the corner is way bigger target for pricks than 2 guys. 

If we had more troops at the outset we may not have been in the predicament we are in today though.

[Dos Equis]

Joint Chiefs agree with Colin Powell and President Hillary:  "The Bush administration is split over the idea of a surge in troops to Iraq, with White House officials aggressively promoting the concept over the unanimous disagreement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to U.S. officials familiar with the intense debate." 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/18/AR2006121801477_pf.html

[Dos Equis]

 

President Bush asked his new secretary of defense to draw up plans to increase the overall size of the Army and the Marines, according to an interview with the president published Tuesday in the Washington Post.

"I'm inclined to believe that we do need to increase our troops -- the Army, the Marines," Bush said. "And I talked about this to Secretary Gates and he is going to spend some time talking to the folks in the building, come back with a recommendation to me about how to proceed forward on this idea."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/19/bush.troops/index.html

[headhuntersix]

Its not..in the short run but i think what we'll have is a bigger military ,,,which the dems have been cslling for and support.  They want to grow by 70,000. I think we might get 1 Marine and 1 Army div apiece and maybe addtional  SOF units,,ie another Ranger Bat, another SF group etc.