Our military is expressing its concerns a little louder:
A senior US military official said Wednesday that keeping some US forces in the country would be "best for Iraq" and warned that the Iraqi military was not equipped to ward off threats in an increasingly volatile region.
The remarks, made on condition of anonymity due to the political sensitivity of the issue, indicate a growing concern by American officials that the Iraqi government is closing the door on a new agreement for US troops in Iraq past the end of this year.
We'll have only about 250 uniformed personnel in Iraq under the current agreement, including Marine embassy guards. This is not enough. I just don't trust the State Department to manage a civilian-based replacement for our troops that can achieve our objective of defending democracy in Iraq and their territorial integrity. I'll say it again, I want 25,000 to remain in 2012, with further reductions over the following decade conditions based.
Of course, for Washington to listen, Iraqis have to speak loudly enough to be heard back here. Will Iraq even ask us to stay in time to act on a request?
