Right. Now we know what the US troops in Iraq think about it- or at least, we know what a handful of them think.
Now: When are we going to see an interview with people in Iraq? No- not an interview with al Maliki.
An interview with somebody straight off the street? A taxidriver (If there are any left willing to risk their lives)??
A market-vendor??
Somebody coming out of a mosque??
Anybody at all ???
Oh- and do make sure the original sound is audible...

Josef - Actually, if you look below there is a blog from Ned Colt that shares an Iraqi family's thoughts about the increase in troops. The blog is titled: "One Iraqi family's hope: security."
Thanks for your comment.

I just want to know where the troops are coming from? Active duty? A 3rd, 4th trip for reserves?

Enough with the journalist bashing, and the anti-American sentiment! I am soooooooooooooo tired of it! I, for one, WANT to know what our troops think of the war they are fighting. I personally know service members who have served, or are currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Even if that were not the case, I still care about our coalition forces, and I care about the journalists who are risking their lives to report on the story. (Do you really think it's "safe" to be embedded with a military unit? It's not. I.E.D.s don't care who they kill or maim.) I have seen plenty of reports on the opinions and struggles of Iraqi civilians. (By the way, if you want more of that type of coverage, read a newspaper.) For the record, I care about them, too. Believe it or not, most Americans do....

Bring our men and woman home!!!Enough is enough!!

Well there is a reason behind this build up. May it be his new military advisors?? I think that is it. I am tired of not finishing what was started. Let us finish this and get on with it. Wow I would even love to see the press kicked out of country and let us do our thing without being graded every two seconds. This is war not some kind of BS police peace action. I have 20 years in the military and I retired in 2002. I want to treat this country like like we did Japan before we nuked them. I believe the violence would stop then.

So are these the troops who will parrot the military's official line because they can be punished if they do not?

I can quit my job if my employer wants me to say something I ethically will not say. Not so the troops.

My government through the military puts propaganda in Iraqi newspapers to fool the Iraqis into thinking things are better than they are.

Why should I believe these soldiers?

Ok, so I am not a soldier, but I am a soldiers wife and I can tell you that a majority of our men and woman that have been in the armed forces since Desert Storm will tell you that we need to be where we are and we need to stay the course.
Myself, I want everyone to remember who we are. We are The United States of America. We are the "Great Nation", if we weren't why would everyone come to us for help? Do you not think that the Iraqi's want freedom? If we pull out now are the American people willing to take the chance that we could be dealing with this same issue in 5 to 10 years down the road? Or that we could dealing with this on our soil? Are the Americans willing to have another 9/11 happen?
I understand we are losing soldiers every day over there, but does anyone realize how many soldiers we lose here in the US everyday? Do their stories get told? No, they don't. Please remeber that the political tug-of-war we are playing impacts our men and woman who are seving overseas. Our soldiers don't get paid enough for the sacrifices they make and all anyone can say is we are spending to much money. Put your life on the line for freedom and lets see how much you think you are worth.

The truth is the Bush proposal is much too little, extremely too late. Perplexing is how Bush, Rice et al, can so assuredly state that failure is not an option in Iraq and then march out this minor contribution in forces as our last stand?!? It's like Custer passing out slingshots at Little Big Horn.

Im sure that everyone wants this conflict to be over. I know I do. The sad truth is that we are between a rock and a really hard place. If we pull out we will just be back in 6 months. So although it is a little late i definately agree with Bush on this one. Face it we cant leave.

The troops have a right to their opinion like every american but they are not allowed a vote as to rather they stay in Iraq or go. That is the job of the Commander-in-Chief. That is the job of the Congress that is supposed to oversee him. That is the job of you and I who elect both. The election happened and the result was a message to Congress and the President. No one seems to be heeding that message.
The President is only concerned with his legacy at the cost of our children. Congress is only concerned with staying in power and taking the Whitehouse in '08.
Young people of military age need to open their eyes and pay attention to these 'games'. This one is called chess. and they are the Pawns. To you I say distrust authority, question everything, and trust no one in a suit with star spangled eyes. Keep your head down, your eyes wide open and think for yourself. There are times when you need to fight and there are times when you need to realize that you are just a commodity to be spent by the people in power.
BRING THEM HOME!

Sending more troop mean, more kinds without Dad or mom. Please mr, no more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I, too, want our children safely home and in their own beds at night. They've seen and done enough killing. But I'm afraid it will be a long while before that happens. I expect Bush to deploy the "surge" of troops before Congress can act to stop him. And to make hell a perfect hell over there, I expect him to ratchet up the dissension with Iran for the sole purpose of causing a confrontation. I so wish I could be there to do my part. Ideally to fight along side the children. I wish to thank the journalists on this page. I have no words to express my gratitude for the work you do.
pab East Jordan, Michigan

Thank you. I was a bit rash there- i didn't see that post. For the record: i am aware that most americans care about the Iraqis. But the fact is also that more often than not they have not been asked about anything. A good example for that was Falluja: while the journalist in question was standing feet away from scores of refugees from Falluja, he never interviewed even one of them.
It would have been helpful at the time.
As for the anti-American sentiment: I am not anti-American. George W. Bush is. And he is not America.
Take a look at some of my previous posts here (look in the archives as well)- you may find that i do feel for your soldiers as i do for the Iraqis.

So I am still left with the question of 'When are the troops coming home?' I am understand that things must be done in an orderly manner. Two months ago we had many different people saying that we need to pull out. Did Bush at all think about it? He said he did, but right now starting a pull-out just seems too far fetched with him at the wheel. I am willing to see if his "increase" works and if it does he will go down as a great president, (or one that barely pulled it off) if it flops he WILL be considered the most pig-headed and malicious presdient to the U.S. culture (Which he has already tainted) Frankly I am tired of his mistakes. I have many thoughts that race through my mind about Bush some bad some good.

My question still stands, I do my best understand politics, but right now I don't have time to deeply study it out, I am just a college student. If someone can expound on this fo me it would help a lot.

One more question: Will Bush get his "increase" and the money to do it even if Congress tries to stop it?

Joe D.

I owe you an unqualified apology- my post above was not only a bit rash, but outright dumb. I literally didn't see the forest because of all the trees!
Well, if it happens again, feel free to rap my knuckles...

It is too much to order the men and women of our U.S. military to sacrifice their lives in this war, and it is too much to expect U.S. taxpayers to pay for this war which is, ultimately, about oil profits that benefit private individuals and companies, unless the President of this nation is willing to make an equal sacrifice in these times of grave danger to this nation. Bush and/or Congress should immediately nationalize all U.S. oil interests due to the serious mistakes made by Bush and his Administration related to this war, and related to the President's report concerning the current and future desperate need for more troops. We absolutely must have the oil to pay for the war and more troops, to properly equip, supply and train our troops, and to pay down the unspeakably obscene national war debt that our nation has been crippled with, for generations to come - oil that rightfully belongs to ALL the citizens of this nation who have been forced to fight and die and pay for its secure extraction from war zones. The future of this nation, its safety, stability and any hope of prosperity rests on the sober management of ALL the resources that we have, which most certainly includes the oil that we are asking our children die for.

Quite honestly, I don't really care what the soldiers think. Unless these soldiers are high-level policy makers, they don't have the perspective.

I'm quite sure that many soldiers just agree with the official line because it's less stressful.

Patricia, I don't want to use oil that some one's child died for. The only thing worth dieing for IS our children.
What is happening in Iraq is a war for continued use of SUV's. It is an obscenity. This nation split the atom and landed a man on the moon. We could eliminate fossil fuels in two decades if properly motivated. Apparently many people see 3000+ KIA and 20,000 maimed as a fair trade for filling up the Escalade and using the resources that God gave America. I just wish God wouldn't have put our oil under their country.
NO BLOOD FOR OIL!
BRING THEM HOME!

i would like to take a second to express my support for the troops.that being said,we really must stay..lets support the president on this.we should hang together on this.

I believe the best solution would be to divide Iraq between Shias, Sunnies and Kurds; declare victory and get out of that country. Migration can't be worse than what is going on now in Iraq at this time. We certainly don't have any obligation to Iraqi government. This is natural solution just like Yogoslvia, as Iraqi Shias and Sunnies can never live together and Kurds have been seeking separate homeland for years.

hi im iraqi citizen i guess every one thinking about the soliders but they never put to their mind that there are inosant citizen witch their caught in the fire between the soliders and the terrorest children, womem, poor people who are too afraid to leave the house and work to provide food to their family. some people die at their own house of hunger, cold . some pregnent women died because they couldnt leave at birth if it was at night. but i quess that is not important, as long as america is save . i hope the america citizen for once think about simple people, and see the picture from our side of view.

Being in the Army Reserves for six years, I very much honor our troops. If there was a just reason to invade this country, I could understand our involvement, but we cannot police the entire world. Are the people in Iraq any safer today than when we invaded? How can we understand the cost not only of our soldiers lives, but the incredible debt we have mounted to pay for a war to overthrow a dictator? Mr. Bush says he was a threat to our nation, but he did not attack our country with our own planes. Why was that man not tracked down and punished? Could it be Ben Ladin did not have any huge oil supplies? I feel for the person that succeeds this president. What a disgrace he made to the elder George Bush. Now we are in a situation that there is no way out. If we leave now, what will happen. If we stay and do not change force their army to begin NOW to take resposiblity and be ready to take over, what have we accomplished.

Let's face it, an 18yr. old kid doesn't have any idea what will happen to them once they sign on the dotted line. I didn't when I did so. I know that they are personal property of the U.S. GOV. because they signed on that dotted line. It was clearly stated to me when I did. So "NO" they don't have a say because they need each other to be a "TEAM". Something we should remember as Americans here at home. Obviously they don't want to be there. Do you really need to hear them say it? Can't you people see through the politics? I don't like the thought of our solders dying, seeing someone die, or killing a person. You're never the same person again. "War is ugly and freedom is not FREE"!!! Send the 21,500 extra troops "NEEDED", there is "Strength in numbers". WE, the United States need to stay the course and secure Iraq's future. The stakes are too high. We are there because Saddam was shaking his finger in defiance. He might still be alive had he cooperated with the U.N. The real problem is RED CHINA because our $$$$ are supporting their military build up. I just can't believe our GOV. is borrowing money from China. What a sad mistake. What about free and fair trade with China?

Wow, where do I start there are so many people in this country that don't know a thing about history or our constitution. If it were as popular to read a book as it is to chat by way of the net our country might understand what is going on and why. First of all this country is the Republic of the
United States of America. It is NOT a democracy. It was intended to be run by a representation of the people not the people themselves. Fortunately our forefathers understood that a government would not last that was run by popular opinion or the latest pole of the day. If there is anyone out there that knows the history of the American Revolution or the Civil War they understand how if it were up to popular opinion of the time we would have quit both wars and our country would not exist. After the first year of the revolution many in congress wanted to get rid of Washington ( the general) and the people of the thirteen colonies cheered for which ever side was occupying their city at the time. The Civil War was even worse, John Wilkes Booth was not the only person who wanted to kill Lincoln. He recieved hundreds of death threats from people in the north as well as the south. A war cannot be run by congress and was never intended to be because it doesn't work. It is the Presidents responsibility to direct the war for better or worse. I don't agree with the way the war has been run so far but we cannot backout now it is too late and if anyone thinks at this point the president is worried about his legacy their crazy. The president is doing what he believes is best for our country whether you agree with it or not. It is about oil in part but not the way most people think. Between Irac and Iran there is from what I understand 65% of the worlds oil supply and if it all was in the hands of someone who wanted to do us harm we as a nation would be in a great deal of trouble. That is not the reason we went there in the first place though. The present administration thought that Irac would be the easiest country in the middle east to turn into some form of a democratic government. They believed that in turn this would cause a domino effect and the totalitarian governments would lose there power and the people in this region of the world would prosper with the resulting freedom.
One dead soldier is too many but we can't quit fighting just because we don't like to see people dieing. We try and fight wars these days a softer more politically correct way and it costs us lives of our men, but unfortunately the "kinder" way turns out to be the more costly, crueler way. We have become a country of spoiled, lazy, unappreciative whinners who don't know were they have come from and have know vision of were they won't to go. We are definately seeing the fall of Roman empire.