No Troop Reductions After All?

Yesterday Donald Rumsfeld told the Senate that maybe the United States won’t withdraw large numbers of troops from Iraq this year after all. Um, okay… but are there actually enough soldiers to keep around in Iraq indefinitely? Last June, retired General Barry McCaffrey said we can expect a “meltdown of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve in the coming 36 months” unless the military draws down from Iraq. At some point one would think we’re not going to have enough soldiers to conduct an endless occupation. But it’s okay: Rumsfeld says Iraq has entered a “hopeful new phase.” Once again.