Truthfully and honestly...

[Cy/MiG]

How long do anticipate a 'full pullout' of troops of Iraq and/or Afghanistan to take.

Not how long Obama or whoever says it will take---but how long do YOU think it will/would take? And do you think it would help and/or change a thing?

Curious as to people's opti/pessimism (sp?)

[Strider]

We're going to maintain a presence in both for a long while, even if we don't take a combat role. Both presidential candidates realize this.

[maniactickler]

There will NEVER be a full troop pullout.

[Fire_Sprite]

I don't think anyone's talking about a full troop pullout. It's been 100 years and we still have troops in Cuba.

[Cy/MiG]

I know it's been mentioned quite a few times though. Someone recently mentioned to me that he heard a plan for 'full troop withdrawal' within 12 months and I had to scoff. There is no way we could get out of there in 12 months, in my opinion.

Even best case scenario, every piece of equipment and personnel properly withdrawn from the country, I think it would take AT LEAST 18 months for such a feat... and that's being VERY genererous.

And for the record, I don't think we'll ever leave Iraq either.

[meangry]

There will NEVER be a full troop pullout.

You are wrong.

[Redmage]

If by "full pullout" you mean no US ground forces in-country at all, then that depends.

If the country blows up in our faces, Iran gets involved, and we get get our asses handed to us as we did in Vietnam, then we could withdraw from the country in a matter of weeks.

However, if that doesn't happen, then we're looking at 50-100 years, at least. The US doesn't leave a country once we invade, unless we lose. The fools who supported this invasion should have realized that.

[Cy/MiG]

If the country blows up in our faces, Iran gets involved, and we get get our asses handed to us as we did in Vietnam, then we could withdraw from the country in a matter of weeks.

Let me just knock on wood here...

*knock*

Alright. Very good point.

[maniactickler]

You are wrong.

Im very rarely wrong. we will have troops there in some form for eternity.

[poetic]

I don't see a pullout happening anytime soon. We've dug ourselves in way too deep to just pull out. I hate that I had a hand in this crap. I would say leave while we were ahead, but we aren't ahead, and never will be in this situation. So of course, billions more will be spent, and thousands more of our troops will die needlessly in an effort to save face and stay the course. I seem to recall people saying that this was a justified war and that it would be over before Bush's term as president. Well, his second term is over, and here we still are. Somehow, the phrase "I told you so" just doesn't quite cover it.

[TonyInMyThroat]

I don't see a pullout happening anytime soon. We've dug ourselves in way too deep to just pull out. I hate that I had a hand in this crap. I would say leave while we were ahead, but we aren't ahead, and never will be in this situation. So of course, billions more will be spent, and thousands more of our troops will die needlessly in an effort to save face and stay the course. I seem to recall people saying that this was a justified war and that it would be over before Bush's term as president. Well, his second term is over, and here we still are. Somehow, the phrase "I told you so" just doesn't quite cover it.

Sorry Poetic, as much respect as I have for your service and experience on the ground, I’ll need to disagree with your assessment here.

I hope we can agree that this battle was going to come sooner or later, and I’ll be the first to acknowledge that we’re paying now for a bad decision by Bush Sr. not to finish the job the first time around.

But quite honestly the fact is the real battle is yet to come and despite the view of some here that our current position in Iraq is little more than a death trap, I’ve heard different opinions to the contrary from those much closer to the situation.

Military “access” to the region is much different than overt “presence”. We certainly don’t need to have solders walking the streets of Baghdad in order to be prepared for a future offensive. Unless the current government decides to commit suicide, we will maintain military “access” for as long as the political climate in the region dictates us to do so, thus keeping our interests in the region on top of the minds of all interested parties. (and even if Obama wins in November)

[Redmage]

I hope we can agree that this battle was going to come sooner or later, and I’ll be the first to acknowledge that we’re paying now for a bad decision by Bush Sr. not to finish the job the first time around.

I wouldn't agree that it was inevitable. Granted that Bush Sr could have saved us all a lot of trouble, but guven that he didn't, Saddam was contained, was not giving us any real trouble, and was performing a valuable service for us by keeping the Iranians worried. He was 66 years old when we invaded, and had we left things as they were for another 5 to 10 years he very likely would have handed us "regime change" simply by dying (or being assassinated).

But quite honestly the fact is the real battle is yet to come and despite the view of some here that our current position in Iraq is little more than a death trap, I’ve heard different opinions to the contrary from those much closer to the situation.

It's worth noting that poetic was about as close to the situation as it's possible for one to get.

Military “access” to the region is much different than overt “presence”. We certainly don’t need to have solders walking the streets of Baghdad in order to be prepared for a future offensive.

True. I foresee something more like the US presence in Germany and Okinawa - long-term occupation forces. Although of course post-occupation combat would last much longer than it did in those countries (since there was no post-occupation combat in those countries).

The people who simultaneously annoy and amuse me are the trusting souls who seriously believed Bush when he said we'd just walk in there, accept the cheers and flowers, set up a friendly, thriving democracy, and then excuse ourselves back to the US amid universal acclaim. That's not how the US has EVER done things. When we invade a country we're there to stay - for decades, if not forever.

Those who refuse to study history are doomed to repeat it. It's just unfortunate that those of us who do study history are doomed along with them.