20,000 Troop Bluster

The Decider has a plan. It's to do what the Iraqis and Americans don't want.

The Bush administration is leaning toward temporarily sending as many as 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq, even as the Democrats taking charge of Congress demand a drawdown of forces.

U.S. officials say the increase is needed to make a new push to stabilize Baghdad and to bolster efforts to train the Iraqi army. The emerging plan is facing opposition from Iraqi officials adamant that more U.S. forces aren't the answer. U.S. military commanders in Baghdad have drawn up plans for the country that don't require any new personnel. The debate over whether to send additional U.S. forces to Iraq is the most visible manifestation of the high-level tumult roiling the Bush administration as it works to find a way forward there ahead of a presidential address to the nation early next year.

The problem is the military does not have 20,000 troops to spare. The Washington Post reports that has "The active Army has close to zero combat-ready brigades in reserve." The National Guard is in worse shape. The troops don't exist. There are either two things at play. The White House, John McCain and Joe Lieberman are just talking tough or they want to send ill-prepared troops to look tough. Judge for yourself which is worse.

Update: John McCain is now floating the idea of sending 35,000 more troops.

“Five to 10 additional brigades is what is being discussed,” Mr. McCain said, outlining an increase that could bring overall American troop strength to the highest levels since the invasion in March 2003. While American combat brigades vary, Pentagon officials say they average about 3,500 soldiers. At present, there are 15 combat brigades in Iraq, amounting to about 50,000 of the total American force of about 140,000.

The Army is so desperate that they have lowered aptitude standards to make recruiting goals. 35,000 battle-ready troops aren't just going to appear. That doesn't stop McCain's rhetoric.