Testifying alongside U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, General Peter Pace was asked whether coalition forces could withdraw within the next three months from any of 14 Iraqi provinces that he had described as calm and stable.
"No, sir," Pace told members of a Senate appropriations subcommittee considering an administration request for 66.3 billion dollars in additional military funding, most of it for Iraq.
Rumsfeld said he expected a new Iraqi cabinet to be formed by a May 21 deadline, ending a political bottleneck that has held up major decisions on the future of the 130,000-strong U.S. force in Iraq.
The U.S. military commander in Iraq, General George Casey, said last year he anticipated a substantial reduction in the U.S. force this year, but neither Rumsfeld nor Pace gave any indication that cuts are imminent.
I still think any major withdrawal plans will come after the next presidential election. I think we'll see a slow down in sending more troops and a few will get to go home here and there, but as for as big numbers, that'll require a major political shift. Even when a new president is in office they'll have to take their time so they don't create an even bigger problem, but I think a new president (Democrat or Republican) will withdraw troops once in office.
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I am a Mother who has a 21 year old son in Iraq a this time. He even celebrated his 21st B-Day there. We only hear from him every 8 weeks. It's a shame they weren't even allowed to call home on Mother's Day. I feel it's time for our young men & women to come home. There are issues they could be helping with here in the USA. It's all political issues now, we don't need to be there. It's too bad our President doesn't see it this way!!!!!
we cant get out of iraq we just cant if we would sent more troops to guard the border of syria and iran iraq would be stablised whats happening in iraq its happened in chechnya the rebels used the same tactics as insurgents in iraq .what the military must do is set check points on every main street of baghdad checking cars and civilians also there must be raids on everyhouse checking for weapons a total sweep . but thanks to rumsfeld and his dumb thinking wee goign to be im iraq for a while . i bet by now we would have have at leat half the soldiers home by now . but the main thing there has to be a governmeb in place without a govermment people will continue fighting.
we are in it we might as well stay in untill it is over if we pull know then they will think they won and then all this stuff will happen again there is a lot of young men and women out their but we need as much help as we can get all of you should be proud of them and for what they are doing to help their country
