Another secret Memo: UK Planning to Leave Iraq by Christmas

Never let it be said that W> is a go it alone Cowboy, in fact he assembled a mighty coalition to invade Iraq:

Would you believe a Forces from 48 Countries

No?

How about a Giant Multi national Force with  troops from
Spain
Norway
The Netherlands{ not to be confused with the equally popular nether regions}
Ukraine
Bulgaria

No?

Okay how about America and its Proud and Staunch Ally Britian?

NO? You've got to be Kidding me right?  Britian's leaving too?!

Yep.

At least according to Yet Another Secret British Government Memo

LONDON, July 10 -- The United States and Britain are drawing up plans to withdraw the majority of their troops from Iraq by the middle of next year, according to a secret memo written ..by Defense Secretary John Reid.The paper,...said "U.S. plans assume that 14 provinces could be handed over to Iraqi control by early 2006," allowing a reduction in overall U.S.-led forces in Iraq to 66,000 troops. "

Okay. Fine. Would you believe three very confused Romanian Nuns, and a scrappy New Jersey Boy Scout Troop?

Well that didn't take long.   Our proud generational struggle against evildoers just officially became a footrace to the exit door.  Will the last country with troops in Iraq please turn the lights off?

The undated memo, which was reported in the newspaper The Mail on Sunday, stated that "current U.S. political military thinking is still evolving. But there is a strong U.S. military desire for significant force reductions to bring relief to overall U.S. commitment levels."

allow me to briefly sketch this evolution in thinking over at the Pentagon:

1. March, 2003:   this is going to be a total cakewalk, one Mad Rush to Baghdad, and then its candy and flowers from the locals and we'll home in time to watch the Sox Choke again in the world series

2. May 2003: If I could just have everyone's attention. People! people! Hey! put that down, that belongs to the Museum!  Hey! you there! Stop that!  What are you even going to DO with 163 Snow tires?  this is a desert!

3. January 2004: Yes there is a slight guerilla insurgency going on, but really, it's in its last throes.

4. April 2004:  We've got the insurgency pinned down in Fallujah, as soon as we take the city they'll be in their last throes

5. July 2004: What do you mean I'm reading this weeks After action reports?  I thought this was a Script for Platoon

6. October 2004:   You know, that John Kerry Guy seem to have some good ideas

7. January 2005: Well its been a long hard Slog, but now the people have voted, and it was all worth it, Things are going to be all better...Boom

8. April 2005: boom * *boom * *boom

9. May 2005: we are so Screwed. We are so fricking screwed

10. December 2005 (tentative): Last one to the Helicopter is a rotten egg!

    
    

Now some of you might be a mite confused since Our Commander in Chief recently said:

Some contend that we should set a deadline for withdrawing U.S. forces. Let me explain why that would be a serious mistake. Setting an artificial timetable would send the wrong message to the Iraqis, who need to know that America will not leave before the job is done. It would send the wrong message to our troops, who need to know that we are serious about completing the mission they are risking their lives to achieve. And it would send the wrong message to the enemy, who would know that all they have to do is to wait us out.

But apparently that message was just a touch vague for Donny Rumsfeld's boys:

While top U.S. military commanders and Pentagon officials have been hoping to reduce troop levels in Iraq for some time, the British memo is apparently the first time such a significant reduction has been outlined under a specific timetable.

Which leads to the Obvious questions(as codified by Uncle Karl):  Why does the Pentagon Hate America and why are they helping the Terrorists?

Of course it should be noted; not all US Military personnel are on board with this plan.   Strangely; the ones actually getting their asses shot off are strongly opposed to further under manning the war:

The memo, posted on the newspaper's Web site, notes a debate between U.S. officials at the Pentagon and military leaders in Iraq, saying that officials in Washington favor "a relatively bold reduction in force numbers," differing with battlefield commanders, "whose approach is more cautious."

Imagine that. its only Their lives on the Line, Can't imagine why they'd want to actually be cautious about this.

For those of you not familiar with the Care and raising of Poultry, that sound you hear are the chickens coming home to roost finally.

The pentagon has a serious problem on their hands.  There are coming to face the perfect storm of a military crisis:
a) No matter how low they drop the recruiting targets, the recruiters are still missing them. It seems all that college money is less attractive when they throw in the getting your head blown clean off, as part of the options package.

b) Their political masters know it would be generational suicide to institute a draft.   The Yellow elephants will turn tail and run at the first sign of actual personal risk from supporting the war.

c) The insurgency has gotten tougher, smarter and far more lethal.  Bombs that killed one solider now take out whole humvee crews, so replacement soldiers are needed at a faster rate now than ever before.

Bottom line: they are running out of soldiers to fight a war that appears to be a War Without End anyway.  There's only one thing to do when faced with a problem like that:

In the immortal words of George Aiken:

"just declare victory and get the hell out".