Uncle Sam's ugly faces.
The troop surge in Iraq, endorsed in December 2006 by supporters at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), specifically called for a "large and sustained surge of U.S. forces to secure and protect critical areas of Baghdad" with "a surge of at least 30,000 combat troops lasting 18 months or so." In early January 2007 it was reported that the military told President George W. Bush that it had 9,000 soldiers available for a surge (with 10,000 in reserve in Kuwait and the U.S.).
In early July 2007, Bush "affirmed his commitment to his escalation plan, stating, 'I'm going to remind the people in the audience today that troop levels will be decided by our commanders on the ground, not by political figures in Washington, D.C.'" However, the DC Examiner reported July 25, 2007, "that 'a bunch of arm chair generals in Washington' from the American Enterprise Institute 'almost single handedly convinced the White House to change its strategy' in weekend meetings last December. The AEI escalation plan reportedly 'won out over plans from the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command'."
The "surge" has also been called the McCain doctrine.
Read more here: https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Troop_surge_in_Iraq
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