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

[MESGAIN26]

i thought the re[publicans claim to fame is that the surge work ? pffffffffffffft , but far as these generals go they dont have the last word the president do

[TheLearnedEnglishDog]

You don't hear so much about the glorious surge, now that the election is over

[slowhand0728]

That is concerning because the Afghanistan Surge is just starting, I am sure we are all hoping it works to being the troops home sooner than later.

[punk]

Al-Qaeda in Iraq will go down in history as the biggest FRAUD ever perpetrated by the U.S. military.

[BlueStateMan]

They ARE there now... they WEREN'T there before we invaded.

[ICanHasDemocracy]

exactly, like bees to honey, except they are wasting our money...

[punk]

"They" are Iraqi citizens unconnected to the 9/11 crime.

[hortonhearsawho2]

nickelodean is on 24/7....

[naughtykitten]

make no mistake. al qaeda is a creation of bushco. just like bin laden was a creation of his father, as was saddam.

[thatsitfortheother1]

The whole Warrenterra is a fraud. Unfortunately, it took all the attention off of what was really going down the last 8 years.

[ThunderclapNewman]

OrbitOne See Profile I'm a Fan of OrbitOne I'm a fan of this user permalink

"WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama asked the U.S. Congress for an additional $83.4 billion to fund the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan on Thursday, saying the security situation along the Afghan-Pakistan frontier was urgent."

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0930196920090409

So THIS is "Hope & Change".
Reply Favorite Flagged Posted 07:46 AM on 04/10/2009
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Poor Pronto---twisting the facts, as usua.

Obama has placed spending for the wars in the budget---which goes into effect on October 1st.

Current funding runs out in a couple of months.

So a one-time supplemental is necessary to provide funding for our soldiers until the new budget takes effect.

But Pronto prefers to paint this as a failure by the president---because Pronto is intellectually dishonest and a complete fraud.

[judyc]

Thanks--that's what I was trying to say.

[OrbitOne]

You had a hard time saying THAT? Wow.

[rampage]

And obviously doesn't care for our soldiers well being and safety.

[rubygreen]

Thanks TCN! But you know those facts will continue to be ignored by the ignorant few that wouldn't know the truth if......

[OrbitOne]

I was against the Iraq war from the get go. Funding, shmunding. Make love, not war. Peace be with you. Making excuses for politicians, as you do, is a dangerous thing. That's what the Bushies did, now you are doing the same. Not just with this post, but across the board. Always making excuses. You would NOT make a good Independent. Obviously. Now, let us help you.

[rampage]

You frikkin made all kinds of excuses blaming the war on Biden and Clinton when it was pointed out that you voted for Bush, the man any one with half a brain new was intent on going into Iraq.
You are one of the most dishonest people I have ever seen post at Huffnpuff.

[hortonhearsawho2]

yeah, but u can't decide can u....mr independent of thought.

[DACC]

so now you are telling us you are a "batshitcrazy" fan??

who knew??

[thatsitfortheother1]

Who cares what you were for or against EVER?

[monicaangela]

Thunderclap, could you please teabag Pronto for me, I would, only I'm not equipped for the job. 0 ;-)

[hortonhearsawho2]

it's like rat with nine lives....

[OrbitOne]

monica - very risque!!

[sposton]

MIC makes its own reality. And it makes little difference who the president is. What is happening in Iraq does not threaten me; what threatens me are the Wall Street banksters, obscene military budgets, offshoring of jobs, our currency tanking,..­. Why doesn't our military do something about our true enemies? ;-)

[poiuyty]

Four more years of war!!!

[BlueStateMan]

How do you figure?

[hortonhearsawho2]

hang in there Trac, we luv ya, even if mommy dosen't...

[rampage]

Nostradumass has posted

[hortonhearsawho2]

lolol

[naughtykitten]

why?

[NWRICK]

Says you! Read the story!

[DACC]

OT~
Morningho is somewhat moderate today

I keep checking the channel to ensure I'm in the right place

[gladys46]

Everyday he gets totally debunked by the end of each show !!!

[rampage]

The guy is a dishonest schiz ophrenic.

[naughtykitten]

morningho is only worth watching when morningho is on vacation.

[BlueStateMan]

To be honest, the only reason to delay our withdrawal would be if our TROOPS' safety is somehow compromised otherwise.

Any attempts to cobble together a central government (outside of a dictatorship) in this region is a losing proposition.

Biden is right... Iraq needs to be divided into what it WAS before the west interfered.

[monicaangela]

Their being divided might be a good idea, but it's not up to President Obama or VP Biden to make that decision, that is a decision the people of Iraq will have to make. We need to stop trying to figure out how to own that country and allow the people to do what they will with the democratic freedoms Bush keeps saying he went there to give them. 0 ;-)

[judyc]

Right--since we toppled their gov't and made them "free"--it's now up to them to decide how they want to put it back together.

[BlueStateMan]

I agree... their tendencies have pointed to the fact that they would prefer the division.

[Vectors]

Well they managed to "cobble together" Israel in the region.

[BlueStateMan]

It was "Judea" LONG before it was "Palestine".

[hortonhearsawho2]

yasser junior or what...

[kev1000]

Yeah, and heck - Israel is probably the safest and most non-threatening country in the world, isn't it?

[suBprimeJustice]

If you were going to be honest, you'd admit that your first preference would have been for the surge to fail and Bush (and America) to be humiliated and receive the comeuppance you think we so richly deserve.

[BlueStateMan]

Don't put words inn my mouth, Betty... you have MORE than enough difficulty putting them in you OWN.

My FIRST preference would have been NOT to have ILLEGALLY invaded that SOVEREIGN nation to begin with.

The "surge" was a PUBLICITY stunt.

We received the "comeuppance" the DAY we went in.

[hortonhearsawho2]

salonsurge­dotcome...­.what else u have on ur site.

[rubygreen]

I'm quite sure that the preference, for most of us, would have been NOT TO GO THERE IN THE 1ST PLACE.

[rampage]

The reality of the surge was not the extra soldiers who were shipped to Iraq and put in harms way, but instead the boatload of money the Bush adminsitration threw at the Iraqis
not to sho ot at us. The surge was nothing more than money and a publicity stunt as BSM
posted.

[rubygreen]

Is anybody listening to the religious conversation on a.m. Joe?

[monicaangela]

NO, I have an aversion to Joe and the show.

[judyc]

You mean with Buchanan?

[rubygreen]

Yes. Meachum and the Pastor from Redeemer. I wish they had someone on with an opposing view.

[hortonhearsawho2]

bu.leemics­...

[ethancorso]

The notion that terrorism can be defeated militarily is manifestly absurd -- it makes about as much sense as a 'war on racism' where the goal is to capture or kill perceived bigots.

Your own intelligence estimates that ALQ operates in more than 40 countries. Will you invade them all?

[DACC]

ask georgie, he started this while clutching his megaphone!

[TheLearnedEnglishDog]

WE MUST KILL ALL FANATICS!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!THEY MUST DIE! DIE DIE DIE!!!! (plus anyone else who happens to be within the very large blast radius. Nothings braver than high altitude terrorist huntin, its better than shootin wolves from a helicopter. And if worst comes to worst we can just do what Bush did anbd pay 'em off in cash

[BlueStateMan]

I'm sure glad that the reporter told us that General Odierno was BALD.

[monicaangela]

Yep, that was very good investigative reporting alright. 0 ;-)

[DACC]

lol
details, details, details.

[ModerateMouse]

"We have a variety of intelligence and we're sure we're going to catch O s a m a bin Laden and Mullah Omar this year. We've learned lessons from Iraq and we're getting improved intelligence from the Afghan people."

Bush never did catch O s a m a or Omar.

He did give Musharraf $10 billion without strings. No one really knows where the money went.

He also go his mile time under 8 minutes and nationalized the banks and the country's largest insurance company. What a Renaissance man.

[DACC]

lol, I'm dying to fast-forward and read the history books on his abilities or should I say lack thereof?

[only1Demvoter]

DACC : " ... Who knew they were into kinky stuff like this ? "

Minors...

... And Jeff gannon.


-ralph

[DACC]

Ellis Jeff Gannon, to be specific

Cue: Ellis Wyatt

[rampage]

Rush is so fa t he has his own moon......­.Orbitone.

[hortonhearsawho2]

lol

[ModerateMouse]

LOL!

[A Meat Beetle]

I heard that Rush's proc tologist found Michael Savage's missing Rolex.

[brandnewstuff]

Endless Poppies- get your groove and just dance- aye

[RickyBalboa]

I pledge to bring troops home... oh, in a couple hundred months or so.

-- Barack Obama

[rampage]

I pledge that Ricky Balboa will have a brain.....­.oh, in a couple hundred years or so.

-Dog

[ModerateMouse]

My favorite Kool-Aid flavor is Sour Grape.

R. Balboa

[hortonhearsawho2]

eatsh*t. or so.


--We The People

[jdmccl]

The troops will still be abroad when barry is replaced. Everybody but the soros MSM knows that.

[A Meat Beetle]

Even if you are correct (and on April 10, 2009 who can say?) and the troops are still there at the end of the Obama presidency (January, 2017), consider the alternative. John McCain was pushing for 100 years. At least that's what he said.