And YOU thought YOUR LAST VOTE MEANT SOMETHING! RIGHT.....

With the last Gallup Poll reporting that nearly 70% of the American people disapproving of President Bush's handling of the Iraq War and with the past Mid Term Elections changing both Houses of Congress to Democrat Party control, President Bush 41 has bypassed the James Baker Commission Report Findings, and he has now moved to escalate our troop totals by 21,000 fighting troops, 27,000 support troops to these fighting troops (making the total 48,000 troops) and 14,000 National Guardsman will begin this surge by cutting short their battle rest period.

IN SHORT, I'M REALLY GLAD THAT WE VOTE IN THIS COUNTRY.

February 22, 2007

National Guard May Undertake Iraq Duty Early

By DAVID S. CLOUD
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 — The Pentagon is planning to send more than 14,000 National Guard troops back to Iraq next year, shortening their time between deployments to meet the demands of President Bush’s buildup, Defense Department officials said Wednesday.

National Guard officials told state commanders in Arkansas, Indiana, Oklahoma and Ohio last month that while a final decision had not been made, units from their states that had done previous tours in Iraq and Afghanistan could be designated to return to Iraq next year between January and June, the officials said.

The unit from Oklahoma, a combat brigade with one battalion currently in Afghanistan, had not been scheduled to go back to Iraq until 2010, and brigades from the other three states not until 2009. Each brigade has about 3,500 soldiers.

The accelerated timetable illustrates the cascading effect that the White House plan to increase the number of troops in Iraq by more than 21,000 is putting on the entire Army and in particular on Reserve forces, which officers predicted would face severe challenges in recruiting, training and equipping their forces.

It also highlights the political risks of the White House’s Iraq strategy. Sending large numbers of reservists to Iraq in the middle of next year’s election campaign could drive up casualties among part-time soldiers in communities where support for the administration’s approach in Iraq is already tenuous, according to opinion polls.

A final decision on whether the additional Guard units will be required next year in Iraq will not be made for months, the officials said, and the full extent of the Guard role next year will depend on whether the situation in Iraq improves in the meantime.
It has been clear since Mr. Bush announced his plan last month that additional reservists could be required in Iraq, but the numbers and the identity of the specific units involved had not been previously disclosed.

Changing the reservists’ schedules means abandoning previous promises that they would get several years between deployments. And the acceleration means that soldiers who usually drill just once a month and for a few weeks in the summer will have to begin intensive preparations right away.