It hasn’t been so long since President Obama announced his intention to send “up to 300” US troops to Iraq as “advisers,” and the Pentagon now says there are 500 on the ground, with more coming.
Only about 180 of the 500 are actually the “advisers,” with other troops part of anti-terrorism security team, and still others manning the new Joint Operations Center in Baghdad.
Major General Dana Pittard is leading the new mission, dubbed the Joint Forces Land Component Command-Iraq by the Pentagon. A second Joint Operations Center is being considered further north, but not confirmed yet.
Maj. Gen. Pittard had previously been the deputy commander of US troops in Kuwait, and before that was in command of Fort Bliss, in Texas.
My question is, when is our military going to get sick of being used by Obama and the Neo-Cons to fight their dirty wars for them? If I were General Pittard, I would seriously be questioning who my loyalties are to – the Neocons or the American people? Because from what I can tell the will of the USG has nothing to do with the will of the American people at this point.
"Did I say three hundred? What I meant was three thousand. Sorry about the confusion."
One thing worse than fighting a losing and meaningless war is half fighting one. What point is the 500 troops going to do except make the President look like he is doing something?