Alexander Drago / Reuters

Andrew Malcolm, McClatchy: Is Trump planning to send more troops to the Middle East — or just testing the water?

While much of the nation’s political, media and public attention was focused on House Democrats’ impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, “U.S. military officials” told The Wall Street Journal the White House was considering dispatching up to 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East.

In normal news cycles when a president is not facing a historic impeachment by Congress, the possibility of such a substantial military deployment would be a major event with all the costs and dangers inherent in such movements of lethal might into turbulent areas.

The addition of that many personnel would essentially double the deployment of U.S. troops to the Mideast just since May, ostensibly to discourage any further ill-advised adventures by Iran’s troubled regime of mullahs.

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WNU Editor: The Pentagon may be drawing up plans, but President Trump continues to say no .... Donald Trump says story '12,000' troops will deploy to Saudi Arabia is 'fake news' and blasts 'anonymous sources' after unnamed Pentagon officials claimed he's sending either 14,000 or 7,000 to counter Iran (Daily Mail).