That's just great for our troops. Especially since many have been on the 3 or 4th tour. The administration has worn out our troops and equipment as well as supplies. Has anyone figured what the cost will be to replace all of the beat up equipment we will either bring back here or leave there? Add that to next years pentagon budget and I bet the numbers will stagger us.

My question is why does any President make these micromanagement decisions??? A President is supposed to provide the military with their objectives not tell them specifics how to achieve them. Only an active military commander has the information and knowledge to make these decisions not the President as he is too far up the chain of command. This guy may think he is Rommel but is more akin to Private Snafu!!!

The Bush administration's brutal criminal enterprise in Iraq is progressing.

TonyfromMinn, please get your mommy to change the stained-with-pee mattress cover on your bed.

This war was illegal in the very first place and he knows it. He went in there just because of the oil and that is a fact.
But now that we are there I am so glad that we are starting to bring them home. As Ralph said some of these troups are on their third and fourth time there and they are beyond tired and so it way past time and I am sure the equipment is getting more and more beaten up.
THANK GOD THEY ARE COMING HOME BACK TO SAFETY AND FAMILY.
MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF THE FAMILIES THAT HAVE SENT THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS TO PROTECT US ALL NOW AND FOREVER AS I AM SURE HE WILL!!!

Like Bush said, it is reversible and you can be sure that Bush the bumbling idiot will be the one to botch things up so they are reversed....I know of no "Democratic" country in the world short of a dictatorship that would allow one man so much power to screw things up again and again and again.

Ralph: there is an interesting book titled The Three Trillion Dollar War that outlines the many hidden costs we will incur as a result of this war including equipment replacement. it's a very interesting read and certainly eye opening.

While I won't be voting for Obama for President, the recent actions by the White House of reducing troops and helping homeowners to prevent foreclosure of their homes are just Republican gimmicks to look nice to help McCain in November. The republicans are not this nice!!!

One reason the surge worked is the US democrats threatened to pull out and the sectarian factions came to realize they better get it together. A wake up call. McCain deserves credit, but it still does not make up for the poor judgment on the War overall and voting with Bush 95% of the time. OBAMA 2008!!

See what you really don't see is as of last. Ive heard from some active duty couterparts is that the army has just started to go to 18 month deployment from the 1 year tours. The reasons given to soldiers is that during the first 3 month and last 3 month of a deployment are the most deadly for any unit because they are first picking up a new mission and then they are so happy to be going home they get a little lacksidasicle.

And for you people who think the best course of action is just to pull out the troops just stop and think. What will happen if we leave? Well I'll tell you those kids over there whose parents we've detained or parents have died yes im talking about iraqi citizens will grow thier resentment towards us and one of them will become the next osama,or sadam, or any other historical terror inflicting indivdual. we need to stay and rebuild Iraq for there future and ours. It is the next Korea

It's about time the White House listen to what Americans have been saying for months.

Time for grumpy old man McCain to claim he was the one pushing this. Ever since McCain began this presidential campaign, he's been saying we can't withdraw troops or we'll lose Iraq. But McCain loves to claim he was the one that is right and he was a visionary (even if it's only in his mind).

Maybe it's time for McCain to take a rest at 1 of the 8 houses he owns. One of the beach front houses worth over $2 million each would be a good place. Then, he and Cindy could go on one of their typical shopping trips where they run up their monthly credit card bills over $500,000.

Welcome back to the real world from Bush's fantasy world.

Whne Obama becomes President you'll be deployed to fight AMERICA's war on terror instead of Bush's personal fantasy war in Iraq.

Folks, what progress is this war monger talking about. The fact that there are only fewer people left to continue to kill doesn't mean progress. It simply means the Americans have caused manslaughter at an unprecedented level that there are no more to kill in thousands. Face it, in a group with a hundred you kill sixty the remainder thirty five is not progress but exactly the remainder you can't keep killing lest you are like the Aussies back then on Aborigines. So Bush you are a totally isane mass murderer who God is waiting to roast on your death day!!

Jeff Davis, Keep your ridiculously stupid comments to yourself, or save them for the next KKK meeting you attend.

It saddens me to read the above comments with such short-sighted and narrow viewpoints. To liberate a country from horrible conditions and fight back an even more terrorist front, these coalition forces have achieved a magnificent goal and have paved a way of great hope for the Iraqi people. Just think how much easier this could have done if the Democrats and liberal whiners could have at least expressed unity in this great fight against those aiming to bring great harm. Instead, all we still hear is trivial bloviating. It makes me sick in my gut to have to live around all you whiners.

This is just a last minute effort to steal the thunder from Obama. He knows we are getting out of Iraq in January anyway when Obama is sworn in. So, what better to do than try and get credit for himself. What a disgrace. And you call that leadership. What has this man been doing the last 71/2 years? I'll tell you. Sucking up all the wealth he could before he leaves office. Just look at the huge profits the drug companies and oil companies(primary donors to his campaign) have made since Bush too office. Now he wants to try and convience you that he means the country well by bringing our troops home. What a joke!

Loodle, the Iraqi people NEVER asked, NEVER wanted, NEVER requested Bush to immorally and illegally invade THEIR country.

If the Iraqi people want liberation they should been allowed to fight for it THEMSELVES.

All Bush needed to 'liberate' Iraq was to form a commando unit of the CIA and Iraqi dissidents to topple Hussein, not 150K of our troops that Bush has killed over 4k.

Want to believe in fantasy, go to bootcamp and live in Iraq. Your propaganda for Bush is not wanted nor needed.

To all Bush haters and Obama Lovers:
Are you guys jealous of the success
under General Betraeus as MoveOn called
him? America will be victorious, and the General will lead our troops back in triumph, and will become the
Predsident like Eisenhower did. Bush
will be remembered as a President with
vision, principle and courage. Go
McCain, Go. Win this one for us.

I'm just wondering since I am a Soldier here in Iraq on a 15 month deployment currently, how is that going to effect me and my unit. Are we leave early? Or are we still going to be here for 15 months?

Wow 4,000 deaths that sucks 4,000 trained equiped deaths

let's compare that to the morons shooting up the united states

oh yea what war there just having a party there in iraq?