More troops in Iraq?

There is a lot of speculation in the main stream media that George W. Bush postponed the announcement of a new Iraq policy because of a lack of consensus on the next step. That is possible. But, one should also realize that a president is unlikely to commit 20,000 to 40,000 additional troops into an unpopular war right before Christmas. We will have to wait and see what the Decider wants to do.

BBC News from this weekend:

US President George W Bush is likely to boost troop levels in Iraq next year, an administration official has said.
Up to 25,000 more troops could be deployed to try to help end the violence, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The comments come a day after prominent Republican John McCain called for up to 30,000 more troops to be sent to Iraq.

Mr Bush had been due to announce a new strategy on Iraq next week, but has delayed his speech until January.

The Hartford Courant:

WASHINGTON -- Two key Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, said Sunday they could back a temporary increase in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq - but only if that surge was for a very short period and specifically helped end American involvement.

At least three other Democrats, as well as former Secretary of State Colin Powell, saw little help from such a surge.

The Washington Times:

Iran has effectively created a Shi'ite "state within a state" in neighboring Iraq, defying both Iraqi Sunnis and neighboring Sunni nations, according to a Saudi security report.

Iranian military forces are providing Shi'ite militias with weapons and training, Iranian charities are pouring funds into schools and hospitals, and Tehran is actively supporting pro-Iranian Iraqi politicians, the report said.

"Where the Americans have failed, the Iranians have stepped in," said the report by the Saudi National Security Assessment Project, a Riyadh-based consultancy commissioned by the Saudi government to provide security and intelligence assessments.

Marine Major Ben Connable cautions that in the past a troop withdrawal has lead to more problems in al Anbar, the New York Times Op Ed.