Top US Commander: We May Have To Stay Longer In Iraq To Combat al-Qaeda

Times London:

The activities of al-Qaeda in two of Iraq's most troubled cities could keep US combat troops engaged beyond the June 30 deadline for their withdrawal, the top US commander in the country has warned.

US troop numbers in Mosul and Baqubah, in the north of the country, could rise rather than fall over the next year if necessary, General Ray Odierno told The Times in his first interview with a British newspaper since taking over from General David Petraeus in September.

Read the whole story: Times London

Comments

[Neoptolomus]

NeoCons and NeoLibs are working for the same results and people are being to 'intelligent" to notice. Tell me, when are the troops leaving? What will be the next shoe to fall in the middle east? Who likes the U.N.?

[thatsitfortheother1]

NeoCons and NeoLibs are working for the same results...

Congrats. 100% wrong.

[sposton]

Neoptolomus is more right than wrong.

[lj9283]

From the story (but buried on page 2 because it is not sensational):

"The US commander was confident that the overall timetable for the US pullout would be met."

[NWRICK]

Correct!
And it also said that the final decision on troops was al-Maliki's.
Tro//s can't use that, so they simply don't read the story. That way it is Obamas fault.
Weird, huh?

[BlueStateMan]

What IS a "neoLib", anyway?

[HackSawyer]

It's al Qaeda. Obama is determined to defeat al Qaeda. The troops will stay.

[BlueStateMan]

How do you figure?

[naughtykitten]

no, they won't. he's not that interested in ending his career so soon.

[HackSawyer]

Are you saying he' rather lose all the ground Petraeus made up in Iraq for political reasons?

[Babele]

Eight years of an inept administration crapping itself on the world. Obama has a mess to clean up.

[OrbitOne]

"Hope & Change" is impervious to everything except GWB's shadow. Barack's kryptonite.

[HackSawyer]

Is that why he is still campaigning against Dubya? When will it end?

[DACC]

NOW you're getting it BB!

proud of ya!!

[MrRex]

Sounds like the tunnel keeps getting longer....­the light farther away. Haven't our leaders played this song before?

[hortonhearsawho2]

g.w. built it long enough, thank u very much...

[freddiefreeloader]

Problem is that light at the end of the tunnel is the train coming at us.

[kev1000]

Odierno is not one of our leaders.

[Yaaawn]

Told ya. Your going to be there a long time. Enjoy the stay.

[TheLearnedEnglishDog]

and we told you not to go there, enjoy the death and misery that your invasion has caused

[Yaaawn]

Oh...you mean the ones that your dem representatives supported with vote and money. Point the finger at yourself. I am going there....

[hortonhearsawho2]

poc poc ....Poc POC poc ...poc

[4akinderworld]

Pickalittle, talkalittle, pickalittle, talkalittle, CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP, talkalot, pickalittlemore.
(If you know "The Music Man," you'll know what this is.)

[naughtykitten]

we've already been there a long time. we WILL leave come h3ll or high water.

[Yaaawn]

History proves you wrong. Japan, Germany, Korea....

[biskitdaddy]

Sure are, just like in Japan and Germany.

[gladys46]

This is news we can use ... why the repub silence ... it's only the 4th largest bank in America !!


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090409/bs_nm/us_wellsfargo

[BlueStateMan]

I can't STAND Wells Fargo.

[gladys46]

Many can't ! It's not a whole lot to cheer about, but it's better than tanking !

[levibatgirl]

Cosign.

[naughtykitten]

no kidding. who'd ever have thought that someday, banks would be run by robbers?

[monicaangela]

They have been loan sharks for so long, it appears they're still able to rake in the cash, where are those regulatory agencies, that money should be confiscated, or at least used to buy up the toxic assets they are trying to sell to the public. 0 ;-)

[KimB3329]

They spoke about it yesterday on FOX but stopped reporting it. Maybe Murdoch is on the Board of Directors? LOL

[chevyval]

Vietnam all over again. Is this a plan to get the Republican's back in office
in 4 years?

[kimleehan]

Forget about Al-Qaeda, we'll take care of them when we get to Afghanistan & Pakistan. Just find George Bush's W.M.D.s so we can get out of there.

[hortonhearsawho2]

lol

[thatsitfortheother1]

If you guys only knew how close we are to turning the corner there...

[monicaangela]

Are they going to bring the war to Crawford, I hear the W.M.D's are stock piled there, under the brush clippings of course. 0 ;-)

[Neoptolomus]

Stop thinking and cheer for President Obama. Lincoln, FDR, Washington, do not compare him to presidents so PETTY as them.

[BlueStateMan]

It seems that you stopped thinking altogether­...

[hortonhearsawho2]

What if No one hears ur pathetic cry for help....ju­st saying.

[thatsitfortheother1]

If a tr0// whines in the forest and nobody's there to hear it, is it still a whining tr0//?

[monicaangela]

zzzzzzzzzz­zzzzzzzzzz­zzzzzzzzzz­zzzzzzzzzz­zzzzzzzzzz­zzzzzzzzzz­zzzzzzzzzz­zzzzzzzz (-)

[naughtykitten]

the sooner we leave iraq, the better. no questions. no excuses.

we should never have been there to begin with.

[BlueStateMan]

Yep!

[gladys46]

As Powell told GW ... you break it you own it ! Now President Obama must fix it !

[naughtykitten]

we can't fix it with military force.

we can make open, honest, transparent contracts with iraqi companies to put iraqis back to work rebuilding their country, but as long as we are there in a combat capacity, we are the problem.

that is how obama will stand the best chance of fixing it.

[957]

Won't happen. Obama promised we would be out, he also promised jobs , shovel ready ,just as soon as the "similus" was passed..., that means we will be in iraq for years to come.

[BlueStateMan]

You really ARE a child, aren't you?

[rampage]

How many frikkin "Nostradumasses" are here today?

[naughtykitten]

our cup runneth over.

[hortonhearsawho2]

they arrive in quaTrains.­...

[monicaangela]

I think that teabagging is started to affect their thinking, really, how long can you hold your mouth open while closing your nose and eyes to keep the sweat out. 0 ;-)

[NWRICK]

Funny. They keep predicting the same thing over and over with the expectation that something will change.
What's the word for that again?

[hortonhearsawho2]

u shovel on out of prison, go Right ahead fella...

[judyc]

He can't spell stimulus.

[monicaangela]

Are you looking for work?

If Bush kept us in Iraq for 6 years, and left office without solving the problem, leaving behind a legacy of trying to give a news conference and getting shoes thrown at him, and you are not or were not embarrassed watching that, how can you be so impatient now, after less than 4 months. Doesn't our President deserve time to come up with his own strategy for handling the mess he was left in his own way, and on his own terms? I'm sure whatever he decides to do will be a great deal of improvement over what the last president did.

BTW: Get a new crystal ball, the one you have is definitely not working. 0 ;-)

[DACC]

maybe he is confused because the current President hasn't spoken of such things as "stratery". He can't follow along using Georgie's glossary..

[NWRICK]

We just hired another weatherization crew.
A direct result of the stim!
When clueless, it's best for one to remain silent!

[judyc]

glad to hear it.

[kev1000]

Hey, congrats!

[watchful123]

Why is this commander talking to a British newspaper.­..or any newspaper for that matter about ignoring the Iraq deadline? I don't trust these leftover generals/commanders from the Bush Administration. I think they're still communicating with Cheney.

Obama needs to withdraw the majority of the troops from Iraq by mid 2010...and the remaining by the end of 2011 as planned.

We soooo should not have invaded this country!

[Budokan]

This is not good. Thanks, GOP! Every soldier who returns to Dover can be credited to you.

http://kennethmarkhoover.com

[PublicusOrator]

No, as of noon January 20,2009 it became Obama's war. As Commander in Chief all he had to was to issue the order for an immediate cease fire and for the immediate withdrawal of the troops. It will not be until 2011 before all American forces are withdrawn.­..if then.

[Neoptolomus]

President Obama and his administra­tion----HO­PE-----try­ing to fulfill a destiny set in motion a long time ago-----CH­ANGE-----D­o YOU BELIEVE

[monicaangela]

President Obama is probably one of the best Presidents we've ever had, bar none, the Hope phase is over, we are definitely in the change portion, and I'm afraid it doesn't seem to be getting through to you yet. Stay tuned. 0 ;-)

[gladys46]

Republicans literally sobbing all the time lately are really pathetic !

[slowhand0728]

Wow in less than 100 days he is the Best President Ever? That is a little much, give the guy a chance putting that much hope and faith in any politician is only going to set yourself up for disappointment. He is still just a man.

[hortonhearsawho2]

might wanna stick with the rabbit in the hat tricks for them kiddie parties there, mr. absent minded magician..