Is this the new plan for Iraq after the election, not to leave exactly, but to pull most American troops back to secure bases and give the country over to the ineffective Iraq National Guard--augmented, of course, with US advisors?
It makes sense. After all, we've in essence given up most of the trouble spots in the Sunni Triangle anyway, and this will give the Administration a breather from the casualty numbers being reported in the domestic press. Who cares if the Iraqi's tear each other apart. We'll have fewer casualties, permanent bases, and access to Iraqi oil--all the Administration really wants anyway.
Considering the content of retired General Luck's report on his recent fact-finding mission to Iraq:
The retired four-star Army general who was sent to Iraq two weeks ago to assess operations there has concluded that American troops must speed up and strengthen the training of Iraqi security forces, by assigning thousands of additional military advisers to work directly with Iraqi units, said senior defense and military officials here and in Iraq.
The aim would be to double or even triple the number of trainers now at work with Iraqi security forces, up to as many as 8,000 or 10,000, though General Luck has not mentioned a specific number. A senior defense official who has been briefed on General Luck's initial conclusions and recommendations said the plan would draw on a mix of officers and senior enlisted troops from Army and Marine units already in Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/23/international/middleeast/23military.html?hp&ex=1106542800&
en=c4a0cb9450c86c35&ei=5094&partner=homepage
And this from Paul Wolfowitz:
The number two Pentagon official said reducing American casualties in Iraq was more important than bringing US troops back home -- and pointed to the rising Iraqi death toll as evidence this strategy was working.
"I'm more concerned about bringing down our casualties than bringing down our numbers,"
http://www.turkishpress.com/world/news.asp?id=050120081400.rnesp1nc.xml
Is there any other way to see this?