About an hour ago,
a story appeared on the New York Times website as 'breaking' but now it seems to have disappeared. BUT, thanks to the phone ringing and my being distracted, the browser window was still open and there it was:
Top U.S. General in Iraq Outlines Sharp Troop Cut By MICHAEL R. GORDON
WASHINGTON, June 24 -- The top American commander in Iraq has drafted a plan that projects sharp reductions in the United States military presence there by the end of 2007, with the first cuts coming this September, American officials say.
i don't know if they pulled the story or if it's just being de-emphasized but there were some interesting details...
According to a classified briefing at the Pentagon this week by the commander, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the number of American combat brigades in Iraq is projected to decrease to 5 or 6 from 14 by December 2007.
Under the plan, the first reductions would be carried out this September, when two combat brigades will rotate out of Iraq without being replaced. Currently, there are 127,000 American troops in Iraq. Military officials do not characterize troop reductions by total troop numbers, but rather by brigades. A typical combat brigade has about 3,500 troops, and many of the other American forces in Iraq are made up of logistical and support units.
American officials emphasized that any withdrawals would depend on continued progress, including the development of competent Iraqi security forces, a reduction in Sunni Arab hostility toward the new Iraqi government and the assumption that the insurgency will not expand beyond Iraq's six central provinces. Even so, the projected troop withdrawals in 2007 are more significant than many experts had expected.
General Casey's briefing has remained a closely held secret, and it was described by American officials who agreed to discuss the details only on condition of anonymity. Word of the plan comes after a week in which the American troop presence in Iraq was stridently debated in Congress, with Democratic initiatives to force troop withdrawals defeated in the Senate. ...
"The recent conversations that have taken place are all designed to formulate our thinking in concert with the new Iraqi government," said the White House official, who declined to discuss specific cuts. "What this process allows is for General Casey to engage with the new Maliki government so it can go from a notional concept to a practical plan of security implementation over the next two years."
Ready for the money quote? Here we go:
Although the planning for 2006 is advanced, officials say the projected withdrawals for 2007 are more of a forecast of what may be possible given current trends than a hard timeline.
But critics of the Bush administration question whether the ambitious goals for withdrawing troops are realistic given the difficulties in maintaining order there. The insurgency has proven resilient despite several big military operations over the years, and some previous forecasts of significant troop withdrawals have not materialized.
Now, after criticizing Democratic lawmakers for trying to legislate a timeline for withdrawing troops, skeptics say, the Bush administration seems to have its own private schedule, albeit one that can be adjusted as events unfold.
If executed, the plan could have considerable political significance. The first reductions would take place before this fall's Congressional elections, while even bigger cuts might come before the 2008 presidential election.
Wonder how long it will take for the story to come BACK to the NYTimes? Here's the link again...
Maybe I just need to stay away from homegrown, uhh, ... vegetables of mental destruction.
UPDATE: MSNBC is reporting "Maliki's Master Plan ... A national reconciliation plan for Iraq calls for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops and, controversially, amnesty for insurgents who attacked American and Iraqi soldiers."