Breitbart on AP:
Behind the Pentagon's closed doors, U.S. military leaders told President Bush Wednesday they are worried about the Iraq war's mounting strain on troops and their families. But they indicated they'd go along with a brief halt in pulling out troops this summer....
.... The Joint Chiefs, who do not command troops but are legally responsible for ensuring the fitness of the forces they provide to commanders, have grown increasingly concerned that the weight of five- plus years of war in Iraq could create severe, long-term problems, particularly for the Army and Marine Corps....
.... Mullen and Gates have said repeatedly that in addition to reducing troop levels in Iraq, they want to shorten tour lengths for soldiers from 15 months to 12 months as soon as possible. A decision to do that is expected, perhaps shortly after Bush reaffirms that the number brigades in Iraq will be cut to 15 by July. The Army calculates that at that point it could drop tours to 12 months and still give units at least 12 months at home to recover, retrain and rearm before deploying again...
Looks like the Bush administration would be happy to keep this war going for many years and John McCain supports doing that. Is this what we want for our country? Do we want our young men and women in uniform to continue to sacrifice their lives and their mental well-being for Bush's war?
I think it is time to tell the Iraqi government that they are on their own.
