Bush Sending 3,500 Troops to Kuwait

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Wed Dec 27, 2006 at 09:05:51 PM EST
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President Bush is sending 3,500 troops to Kuwait. Is there any doubt they will then go to Iraq?

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates approved sending the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division overseas after Gen. John P. Abizaid, who leads Central Command, requested the forces to replace the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which was sent into the western province of Anbar this fall. Abizaid requested a brigade -- which is significantly larger than the Marine unit -- to allow for greater flexibility in the region.

Arianna tells us this is not really the decision of military chiefs:

Before the escalation becomes inevitable, it must be made clear that this reckless strategy is being dictated by the White House and not by the military commanders who are being poked, prodded, pushed -- and bribed -- into backing it.

She's putting her hope in the newly elected Democratic Congress:

But the conditions on the ground indicate that Abizaid, Casey, and the rest of the military high command are not going to take a stand against yet another disastrous decision by the White House -- which means that it will be up to the Democrats, soon to take control of Congress, to stop this tragic escalation.

She may have more faith than I do. I think it's going to get worse before it gets better. Bush is a unitary President who believes the final decision is his alone. We've got two more years of this.

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Bush Sending 3,500 Troops to Kuwait | 12 comments (12 topical)

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My brother is convinced he's going back (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by Dadler on Wed Dec 27, 2006 at 10:35:00 PM EST

This after already being in Baghdad for a year, then in Afghanistan for another. Hey, you've ruined the kid twice already, why not go for the trifecta?

In fifty years, when water fresh water is scarce, when billions of people are dying, when the planet is hot as a microwave, I'm sure we'll not be viewed as the useless, wasteful, thoughtless as*wipes we are because we "liberate" Iraq and Afghanistan.

The day the last person in this administration drops dead should be a national holiday.

Is your brother in the 82nd? (none / 0) (#2)
by Edger on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 09:32:41 AM EST

I'm not sure (none / 0) (#4)
by Dadler on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 10:28:09 AM EST

He does a lot of stuff he won't fill us in on. He's an officer, tho. Still, when he was in Afghanistan, it was him, two gunnery seargents protecting him, and a bunch of Afghan soldiers marching around the mountains.


Well... (none / 0) (#6)
by Edger on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 10:54:30 AM EST

I hope he will be alright.

My brother is still at CentCom in Doha, Qatar (about 30 miles across the water from Iran)and has just re-signed his employment contact with one of the biggest defense logistics contractors to the army. He has pretty well stopped all communication the past year other than very short "Hi." emails every now and then, and won't talk about his job or what goes on there, probably because he can't. All his communication is monitored....


Thank you for the thoughts (none / 0) (#9)
by Dadler on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 12:51:16 PM EST

I hope your bro is well and comes home soon. Having just watched, finally, An Inconvenient Truth with my young son (and the film is preaching to the converted with me), one realizes even more clearly how truly destructive this excercise in mindless violence and delusion is.

Peace.


I know he keeps applying (none / 0) (#10)
by Edger on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 01:00:10 PM EST

for jobs all over the world, but they pay him too much, and he has a house in China he wants to pay off to retire in. They own him... unfortunately, he lets them do it to him.


how truly destructive this excercise (none / 0) (#11)
by Edger on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 01:04:35 PM EST

in mindless violence and delusion is is an understatement, considering, apart from the lives, the enormous amounts of money wasted and the fact that it would probably only take about 1% of global GDP to stop global warming.


: Yep (none / 0) (#12)
by Dadler on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 03:41:22 PM EST

And yep again.
Sigh.
I have to go play catch with my son and smile a bit today.

Well, why Kuwait instead of straight to Iraq? (none / 0) (#3)
by MetaData on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 10:21:50 AM EST

If they were going to Iraq, why wouldn't they just go to Iraq? An escalation of 5,000 per week would be easy (and more normal) than sending 30,000 or 50,000 all at once. You've got infrastructure to build up, and that is easier to do slowly rather than all at once.

A couple other things don't make sense.
- Sending US and British Aircraft carriers and ships to the Gulf.
- Misleading trial balloons on troop numbers: 10k, 55k, 30k (insurgents don't care).
- Private talk about invading Iran, Public talk about surge in Iraq

It seems totally foolish, but maybe they really are planning military action against Iran. Not invasion, but blockade, sabotage, missle strikes or seizing oil platforms.

The Bush-Cheney-Rumsfiled legacy is collapsing, and with it the Republican Party. The present path is one of steady defeat in Iraq, and they only have one year to keep the boat from sinking before the election season.

Plus, it has always been about oil and projecting US presence to protect "our" strategic resources.

The neocons keep pushing for Iran invasion. What other advisors do they have, plain-old-cons, religious-cons, oil-company executives? They clearly don't have any advisors recommending withdrawal.

re: The neocons keep pushing (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by Edger on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 10:39:43 AM EST

It is a war with Iran, and a war with the rest of the world for global energy dominance. It is a war to remain the worlds only superpower.

They fully intend to attack Iran before Bush's term is up. I've been saying this since before the elections. Cheney's own words are too closely aligned with neocon wishes for any other conclusion to be reached.
Operation Comeback, or how the neocons plan to save themselves:

Prepare to Bomb Iran. Make no mistake, President Bush will need to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities before leaving office.

Plans for Redrawing the Middle East: The Project for a "New Middle East"

The Map of the "New Middle East"

The New Totalitarianism. Rule Through Barbaric Annihilation


Superpower? When will they ever learn? (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by MetaData on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 11:51:34 AM EST

Jeopardy answer: What is oil-dependency?

A blockade of Iran would double the price of oil, enriching the oil companies, but kill our economy. Maybe that is good for the world as we would finally develop some alternatives. But, the moment oil prices double, the US as a "superpower" ceases to exist. Dangerous with lots of (useless) nuclear weapons and run by an apocalyptic Religious-winger president desperate to save his legacy. But, no we would no longer be a superpower.

Double Jeopardy answer: What is Blowback?

In 1954 the CIA overthrew the democratically elected government of Iran and installing the Shay, giving rise to a chain of events down through the decades, and the CIA coined the word "blowback".

So, in the present situation, if I were the Iranian government, I would alreday have the response teams in place. Warmongers always figure they won't be the ones to be killed. Apocalyptic warmongers like religious fanatics (Christian as well as Islamic) don't care.

The foolish part is that there is zero actual preparation for the consequences. No tax increases, no investment in alternative energy. The great prevaricator simply runs things like he has never experienced war himself, and like he has a magic, invisible shield.

Did god tell him something we don't know?


: Pipelines across the Saudi desert.... (none / 0) (#8)
by Edger on Thu Dec 28, 2006 at 12:01:23 PM EST

I would alreday have the response teams in place
No need for teams. Preplanted mines will work just fine... on pipelines out in the middle of nowhere in a desert.