Obama Response to AP article, “U.S. Out of Fresh Troops for Iraq”

CHICAGO -- Senator Barack Obama released the following statement today in response to the Associated Press article, “U.S. Out of Fresh Troops For Iraq."

“The Associated Press story today confirms what has long been clear – the catastrophic decision to wage war in Iraq has finally stretched our troops to the breaking point. It's a shameful disservice to them and a serious threat to our national security.

We know our troops will always answer the call to service, but we must issue that call responsibly. We need predictable rotations, we need to deploy troops at an appropriate state of readiness, and we must only send them to battle if we define their mission and define success. We must end this war in Iraq and begin bringing our troops home so that we can rebuild our military’s strength and confront the very real threats to our security that still exist.”

http://chicago.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=130451&type_news=latest

AP Article:
WASHINGTON - Sapped by nearly six years of war, the Army has nearly exhausted its fighting force and its options if the Bush administration decides to extend the Iraq buildup beyond next spring.

The Army's 38 available combat units are deployed, just returning home or already tapped to go to Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere, leaving no fresh troops to replace five extra brigades that President Bush sent to Baghdad this year, according to interviews and military documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

That presents the Pentagon with several painful choices if the U.S. wants to maintain higher troop levels beyond the spring of 2008:

USING NATIONAL GUARD UNITS on an accelerated schedule.

BREAKING THE MILITARY'S PLEDGE to keep soldiers in Iraq for no longer than 15 months.

BREACHING A COMMITMENT to give soldiers a full year at home before sending them back to war.

For a war-fatigued nation and a Congress bent on bringing troops home, none of those is desirable.
Eighteen Army brigades are in Iraq, each with about 3,500 soldiers. At least 13 more brigades are scheduled to rotate in. Two others are in Afghanistan, and two more are set to rotate in there. Also, several other brigades either are set for a future deployment or are scattered around the globe.

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/676271.html