Bush Says Less Than 30,000 Troops in Iraq by Fall

This is really great news!!

The Bush administration is planning to withdraw most United States combat forces from Iraq over the next several months and wants to shrink the American military presence to less than two divisions by the fall, senior allied officials said today. The United States currently has more than five divisions in Iraq, troops that fought their way into the country and units that were added in an attempt to stabilize it. But the Bush administration is trying to establish a new military structure in which American troops would continue to secure Baghdad while the majority of the forces in Iraq would be from other nations. ....The Bush administration's aim is to bring most of the American troops here back to their bases in the United States and Europe so they can prepare for potential crises. The administration does not want substantial numbers of American forces to be tied down in Iraq. It is eager to avoid the specter of American occupation, and it is hoping to shift much of the peacekeeping burden of stabilizing Iraq to other governments. If the administration plan is carried out, the effect would be to reduce the number of American troops in Iraq from over 130,000 soldiers and marines at present to 30,000 troops or fewer by the fall.

Oops! This report is 15 months old. And, if interested, I've got some beachfront property for sale in Malibu that looks over the Atlantic Ocean.