What difference does it make anyway if there is a timetable for the US to leave Iraq?

Question

Why haven't they mentioned the contractors who number somewhere in the area of 190,000? and most of whom act in the capacity of police or an army anyway?

Answer 1

It doesn't really but making that information public so that the enemies of the Iraqi government know when the US is leaving is rather idiotic..

Answer 2

Because it's not our country, but we put the biggest embassy in the world there just to make sure that Iraq is on a tether.

Answer 3

We still have troops in Kosovo/Bosnia after over 10 years!  So I hardly think it's unreasonable to still have US forces in Iraq after only 5 given the scale of the Iraq war.  We will undoubtably have some level of US military in Iraq for YEARS to come.  Maybe not 130,000 strong, but you can bet we will have some sort of a permanent presense in Iraq.  Especially with Iran right next door looking to develop nuclear weapons.  

Answer 4

There is no need for a time table.  We should declare Mission Accomplished and leave.  There are bigger and better wars we could wage.

Answer 5

A lot of people . both Iraqis and Americans suspect that it was the Bush's intention to set up permeate military bases  in Iraq so we could have a military present in the Middle east and to give   US oil companies long term leases to drill Iraqi oil. Having a timetable to leave  would commit us to getting out in the foreseeable future and so  end any plans we had, if indeed we had plans.

Answer 6

The difference it should make is this, they do not want us there. We are invaders there. Is our respect only to countries who have nothing we want???

Answer 7

Excellent point.  You aren't supposed to know about those guys.

It is just a political issue designed to upset the public.  If we have a timeline, it may or may not be followed.  Obviously, the situation may change.  

But being behind a timeline allows democrats to imply that the republicans are overly militaristic and are keeping the troops there unnecessarily long.

It allows them to say that they are not for surrender in the war, they just want to fight it differently.  If they get a timeline established, they will make it an unachievably short one so that they can say that the bush administration wasnt getting anything done.  

If Obama gets elected, however, he will change his position to that of george bush and say that the troops will be there as long as we need them, which is the only one that makes sense.