Reuters:
President George W. Bush would like to see a lengthy U.S. troop presence in Iraq like the one in South Korea to provide stability but not in a frontline combat role, the White House said on Wednesday.
The United States has had thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea to guard against a North Korean invasion for 50 years.
Democrats in control of the U.S. Congress have been pressing Bush to agree to a timetable for pulling troops from Iraq, an idea firmly opposed by the president.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush would like to see a U.S. role in Iraq ultimately similar to that in South Korea in which "you get to a point in the future where you want it to be a purely support model."
"The Korean model is one in which the United States provides a security presence, but you've had the development of a successful democracy in South Korea over a period of years, and, therefore, the United States is there as a force of stability," Snow told reporters.....Wow! What a terrible idea! Can you imagine 50 more years of ......
American deaths in Iraq?
IED explosions?
a continuing drain on our treasury?
diverting the National Guard from state emergencies?
Etc., etc., etc.
According to the Cost of War, the Bush's Iraq War has cost us over $430,000,000,000 and almost 3,500 American lives. How much more does this administration think we should give? Do those Republican presidential candidates support 50 more years in Iraq? Someone should ask them.
***Update:
Adding to this information about the Iraq War, we get this from the Ohio Beacon Journal:
Soldiers in the Ohio National Guard are not being trained with the same equipment they would use if deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, according to the state's adjutant general.
"It's about confidence in soldiers, and the soldiers need to train on the right pieces of equipment so they have confidence in the mission we're asking them to do," Maj. Gen. Gregory Wayt said Wednesday.
For example, Wayt said some Army Guard troops will begin three weeks of training starting June 9 using standard-issue M-16 rifles when they would be using shorter, lighter M-4 rifles in the field.
The soldiers also can't train with the type of night-vision goggles or armored vehicles they would use in combat, the Guard said....
According to Icasualties, 146 Ohioans have been killed in Iraq and 1,056 Ohioans have been wounded.Does the fact that they are not being trained with the proper equipment put our Ohio men and women at a higher risk? Of course! What is Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) doing about this? Why don't we call her office and find out?