Gates Condemns Troop Holdback Measure As Dangerous Political Trick
WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday he would recommend a veto of a Senate proposal that would give troops more rest between deployments in Iraq, branding it a dangerous “backdoor way” to draw down forces.
Democrats pledged to push ahead with the plan by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., and expressed confidence they could round up the votes to pass it, although perhaps not by the margin to override a veto.
“The operational tempo that our forces are under is excruciatingly difficult for our soldiers, Marines, all of our personnel and their families,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. “They deserve the same amount of time back home as they stay in the field.”
The comments represented the latest political clash over the future course of the war. Last week, President Bush announced plans for a limited drawdown but indicated that combat forces would stay in Iraq well past 2008.
With the Senate expected to resume debate this week on anti-war legislation, Gates sharpened his criticism of Webb’s proposal. It would require troops get as much time at their home station as their deployments to the war front.
Gates was asked in broadcast interviews about recommending a veto to Bush should the proposal pass. “Yes I would,” the Pentagon chief said.
“If it were enacted, we would have force management problems that would be extremely difficult and, in fact, affect combat effectiveness and perhaps pose greater risk to our troops,” he said.
Supporters of Webb’s proposal say it has at least 57 of the 60 votes needed for passage. It would need 67 votes to override a veto.
A separate proposal by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., seeks to restrict the mission of troops to fighting terrorist and training the Iraqi security force.
“The president has dangled a carrot in front of the American people talking about troop reductions,” Levin said. “But, again, it is an illusion of a change of course and the American people are not buying it. My colleagues are not buying it.”
“I think we have a good chance of getting to the 60 votes to call for a change in policy. I hope we get there in the next couple of weeks,” he said.
If Webb’s amendment were enacted, Gates said it would force him to consider again extending tours in Iraq. He explained that the military commanders would be constrained in the use of available forces, creating gaps and forcing greater use of an already strained National Guard and Reserve.
“It would be extremely difficult for us to manage that. It really is a backdoor way to try and force the president to accelerate the drawdown,” Gates said. “Again, the drawdowns have to be based on the conditions on the ground.”
“We would have to be looking at gapping units where there would—a unit pulling out would not be immediately replaced by another,” he added. “So you’d have an area of combat operations where no U.S. forces would be present for a period, and the troops coming in would then face a much more difficult situation.”
Active-duty Army units today are on 15-month deployments with a promise of no more than 12 months rest. Marines who spend seven or more months at war sometimes get six months or less at home.
“We’re having difficulty trying to keep to my policy of 15 months deployed, 12 months at home, for the active force and a full-year mobilization limit on the Guard and Reserve. We’re having enough trouble trying to make that work, without the strictures of legislation,” Gates said.
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In addition to being STUPID it would be UNCONSTITUTIONAL! We have 1 Commander In Chief not 535….Fortunately WEBB the ultimate flip flopper is not the Commander IN Chief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 16th, 2007 at 1:37 pmREAD BELOW…France has grown a set of balls and the defeatist, surrender monkeys…lead by the once brave and courageous WEBB go wobbley on Iraq.
World should brace for possible war over Iran: France
Sep 16 02:44 PM US/Eastern
The world should brace for a possible war over the Iranian nuclear crisis but seeking a solution through talks should take priority, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Sunday.
“We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war,” he said in an interview broadcast on French television and radio.
“We must negotiate right to the end,” with Iran, he said, but underlined that if Tehran possessed an atomic weapon, it would represent “a real danger for the whole world.”
“We are trying to put in place plans which are the privilege of chiefs of staff and that is not for tomorrow,” he said, referring to military plans but stressed that although any attack on Iran was far from taking place, “It is normal for us to plan” for any eventuality.
Kouchner said France wanted the European Union to prepare sanctions against Iran, outside the ambit of the UN Security Council, to force Tehran to forsake its nuclear ambitions.
“We have decided that while negotiations are continuing … to prepare eventual sanctions outside the ambit of UN sanctions. Our good friends, the Germans, suggested that,” he said.
The foreign minister also said leading French companies such as Total and Gaz de France had been urged not to undertake new work or contracts in Iran.
Iran vehemently denies Western allegations it is seeking an atomic weapon, saying its nuclear drive is aimed at providing electricity for a growing population whose fossil fuels will one day run out.
The five permanent Security Council members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany are due to meet to discuss a new draft UN resolution on sanctions against Iran on September 21 in Washington.
The United States has never ruled out taking military action against Iran but on Friday, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei brushed off the notion that it could now threaten the Islamic republic.
He said that US President George W. Bush had been defeated in his Middle East plans and would one day stand trial for “atrocities” committed in Iraq.
Copyright AFP 2007, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium
September 16th, 2007 at 1:39 pmFrance gets Balls, Democrats castrate themselves, who would have thought?
September 16th, 2007 at 3:47 pmMust be queer eye for that Wesley Guy!
September 16th, 2007 at 3:48 pmNow why would anyone listen to anything JimBob Webb has to say about anything?
September 16th, 2007 at 4:23 pmwebb is a murtha wanna be,, or is it murtha is a webb wanna be,, or is it neither is a wanna be,,, webbs son is a MARINE officer in iraq,, i hope my son has nothing to do with him.. life is hard enuff there without having a loser in the group…
September 16th, 2007 at 7:26 pmblackanthem.com has some good info.. returning guard troops concur with gen betray us and prez. gains are there and the troops expect the deployments and redeployments.. it is the ones that ain’t goin that are complaining about not goin,,huhhh??? 1/3 of U.S.deaths the past 3 months are due to noncombat.. all are heros.. “all give some and some give all” and all are volunteers and completely understand what they signed up for.. since all have enlisted or reenlisted since the initial invasion..
September 16th, 2007 at 7:43 pm