8.17.2004

The Potential Damage in Bush's Troop ReDeployment Plan

Wesley Clark on last night's Hardball, and note that his comments merely scratch the surface of the problems inherent in the Bush plan:

Well, I think a lot of the forces in Europe are already in the Middle East, Chris. They‘re on a rotation schedule. What this plan gives is a rationale for pulling one brigade from the Korea two-brigade force structure. So it gives us an additional brigade to throw into Iraq.

I think the plan damages U.S. national security. I don‘t think it does a thing to offset the kinds of pressures that are leading people to talk about a draft. And worse than that, in the immediate near future, it undercuts our ability to deal with the North Korean problem and further deepens the split with our traditional allies in Europe.