The plan to not end the occupation of Iraq
Ashley Smith examines the situation of the U.S. occupation of Iraq with a review of a book that focuses on the Pentagon's "surge" strategy.

PRESIDENT BARACK Obama--who won last November's election with millions of votes from people who saw him as the antiwar candidate--has decided on a plan for "withdrawing" from Iraq that has more support from Republicans in Congress than from Democrats.

Obama extended his promised timeframe for withdrawing "combat troops" to 19 months. But even more telling is the aspect of Obama's policy that remained vague during the campaign--plans for a "residual force" of up to 50,000 soldiers to remain in Iraq through at least 2011.

This isn't a plan to end the occupation of Iraq, but to continue it in another form.

"You cannot leave combat troops in a foreign country to conduct combat operations and call it the end of the war," said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. "You can't be in and out at the same time. We must bring a conclusion to this sorry chapter in American history."

Link to con.