Gates Working to Accelerate Deployment - washingtonpost.com

Gates Working to Accelerate Deployment - washingtonpost.com: "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that he was working to accelerate the deployment of 21,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq, suggesting that the influx of American troops is no longer contingent upon the Iraqi government fulfilling its commitments for Baghdad security operations.

Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, confirmed yesterday by the Senate as the senior U.S. commander in Iraq, testified this week that he needs all of the troops -- and possibly more -- for the mission to quell sectarian violence in Baghdad. 'As long as he feels he needs them, they're all going to flow,' Gates told reporters at the Pentagon in his first news conference as defense secretary"

"We are going to see if the timetable for the dispatch of the brigades can be accelerated," Gates said, although he added that logistical hurdles may prevent speeding up the movement for all or some of the troops.

The U.S. troop increases now underway in both Iraq and Afghanistan reflect a deliberate effort to "create an environment in which the commanders feel open to requesting what they think they need," Gates said, suggesting that in the past U.S. commanders have not felt comfortable asking for reinforcements. Still, he said, "there is no blank check," and requests for more troops will be vetted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff before being presented to him and President Bush for a decision.

In congressional testimony and statements earlier this month, Gates had suggested that the flow of additional U.S. troops to Iraq would be dependent upon the Iraqi government meeting specific pledges -- such as sending three more Iraqi army brigades to Baghdad and lifting restrictions on U.S. military operations targeting certain Baghdad districts or individuals.

"The timetable for the introduction of additional U.S. forces will provide ample opportunity early on and before many of the additional U.S. troops actually arrive in Iraq to evaluate the progress of this endeavor and whether the Iraqis are fulfilling their commitments to us," he said at a White House news conference earlier this month.

Yesterday's statements made it clear that any decision on withholding troops would be left to Petraeus, who has said he favors moving the troops to Iraq as quickly as possible....

[bth: this has everything to do with beating the February resolution from Congress prohibiting this action. Pure calculating political bullshit that has nothing whatever to do with winning a war.]