Bush, in last Friday’s debate:
“Of course, I listen to our generals. That’s what a president does. A president sets the strategy and relies upon good military people to execute that strategy.”
Bush, at a White House press conference with Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi last month:
“[W]hen our commanders say that they need support, they’ll get support, because we’re going to succeed in this mission.”
The Baltimore Sun, yesterday:
Since May, Brig. Gen. Oscar B. Hilman, commander of the 81st Brigade Combat Team, a National Guard unit from Washington state that operates the base, has requested 500 to 700 more soldiers. But he said the request has been denied.
“Because the enemy is persistent, we need additional forces. We asked twice,” said Hilman, who arrived here in April for a yearlong stint. But Hilman said he was told that “there are no additional forces,” and that U.S. soldiers are needed elsewhere, particularly to battle insurgents and cover a large area to the north that includes the rebellious cities of Tikrit and Samarra.
The 81st Brigade’s top enlisted man, Sgt. Maj. Robert Barr, said the soldiers here are frustrated, and that he often hears the same question: “Why aren’t we stopping it or killing their guys who are doing it?”
Their complaints contrast sharply with statements by President Bush and top Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who say U.S. troop strength is sufficient but that more soldiers will be sent if senior commanders ask.
Well, Hilman claims he asked for more troops, twice, but is there additional confirmation of that? As a matter of fact, yes.
Hilman said he requested additional forces in the spring and again in the summer from 13th Corps Support Command, which is responsible for LSA Anaconda and all other multinational supply and transportation facilities in Iraq.
Maj. Richard W. Spiegel, a spokesman for the 13th Corps, confirmed that Hilman put in the request and that it was endorsed by the command’s top officer, Brig. Gen. James E. Chambers.
The request was forwarded to Multi-National Corps Iraq headquarters, which assesses troop requirements and makes the final decision, Spiegel said. The request was denied, he said, declining to provide details.
Sharon Walker, a spokeswoman for the U.S. military headquarters in Baghdad, said officials had no comment on why the request was not approved.
A “no comment” from the higher-ups? What a shock.