On May 8, the Pentagon announced that the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division, based at Schweinfurt, Germany, would not begin its deployment to Iraq as scheduled. It said the brigade, with about 3,500 Soldiers, was receiving a revised deployment date but did not disclose the date. It also said the delayed deployment reflected a desire by U.S. commanders to assess the security situation and consult with Iraqi officials.I wish we were confident enough of the trends to keep this unit out. But at least this should end the ridiculous talk that the President was planning to cut and run from Iraq in a misguided attempt to shore up public support prior to the November Congressional elections.
Since then violence, including sectarian strife, has not abated. U.S. officials have even acknowledged in recent days that the insurgents have a degree of control over Ramadi, a provincial capital west of Baghdad. The Army sent an extra 1,500 troops from Kuwait to the Ramadi area in recent days to cope with the violence.
Although the brigade in Germany has begun preparing to load its equipment for shipment to Iraq, a final decision on sending the Soldiers is pending, the official said, adding that it likely would be made this week. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss troop movement plans publicly.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had cautioned against reading too much into the May 8 announcement that the brigade's deployment had been delayed. Two days later, he told a radio interviewer that people who assumed it signaled a decline in troop levels were "taking one tulip and deciding its spring."
We are in this war to win.
