Preparing The U.S. Public For A Longer Stay In Iraq

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (r.) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen arrive for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday. Gates discussed the possibility of some US troops remaining in Iraq next year. Jim Young/Reuters

Iraq War: Why US Military Withdrawal Might Not Happen In 2011 -- Christian Science Monitor

The US military is scheduled to leave Iraq in December 2011, ending its involvement in the Iraq war. But it looks increasingly likely that Iraq will ask for some US troops to stay.

It is looking increasingly likely that American troops will stay in Iraq beyond December 2011 scheduled date of withdrawal for the US military – a prospect that appears to be gaining bipartisan support in Congress.

One congressman suggested Thursday that the politically acceptable size of the force that would remain in Iraq “could be 20,000.”

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More News On U.S. Soldiers Staying In Iraq After 2011

Expect a Longer Stay in Iraq, Says Democratic Congressman -- Wall Street Journal
Rep. Smith: Iraq 'highly likely' to ask U.S. troops to remain -- The Hill
Rep expects troops to remain in Iraq into 2012 -- Stars And Stripes
Gates says funding cut could put gains in Iraq at risk -- CNN
Gates Warns Of Security Problems In Iraq After U.S. Withdrawal -- Radio Free Europe

My Comment: When a deadline for the American withdrawal from Iraq was announced last year .... I scoffed at it. Now .... the adults in the room are saying the same thing. Expect a small detachment of U.S. soldiers (about 20,000) staying in Iraq for the next 5 - 10 years.