Lost in the cacophony over when the drawdown of U.S. troops should or will commence is that the U.S. has no intention of altogether leaving Iraq.
It always has been a long-term objective of the Bush administration to have permanent bases in Iraq because of their strategic location between Syria and Jordan to the west, Turkey to the north, Saudia Arabia to the south, and the whole megillah — Iran — to the east.
Thomas Ricks reports in the WaPo that the U.S., in fact, plans a permanent post-occupation force of about 50,000 troops.
It’s just a tad impolitic to acknowledge that reality as the last-gasp surge strategy founders and Iraq merrily continues on its downward spiral. To do so, as Matthew Yglesias notes, would be the equivalent of the occupiers rubbing the obvious in the occupieds faces:
“It’s preceisely the widespread – and, crucially, accurate – Iraqi perception that U.S. forces aren’t just there to help them out and aren’t planning on leaving that drives the appeal of both Sunni and Shiite nationalist groups that are opposing us.”
Ricks’ sources, arguably the best of any reporter covering the Pentagon, tell him that the permanent force would include four major components.
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