US hopes Iraq will ask troops to stay: Gates

Of course it hopes that. And it will probably happen. The military industrial complex loves war and occupation.

And even if Iraq says ``get out``... the US military bases will still be there.

US hopes Iraq will ask troops to stay: Gates

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday he hopes Iraqi leaders will ask US troops to stay in their country beyond a year-end deadline but acknowledged the United States was unpopular there.

While extending the US military presence beyond this year would send an important message to Arab allies and to Washington's archfoe Iran, Iraqi politicians faced a "challenge" in weighing such a move, Gates said.

"We have to realize that it is a political challenge for the Iraqis, because whether we like it or not, we're not very popular there," Gates said at a conference at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank.

Mr. Iran Contra sure loves war.

reply to post by Vitchilo


Well, can you truly say that you're surprised? I mean the US clearly would like to maintain as much of a presence in the region as possible, plus the fact that Robert Gates is a former CIA spook, with a taste for bloodshed and war.

The dude was top level CIA, no doubt pulling, or standing next to the dudes pulling the strings in the Iran-Contra affair. So I'm not the least bit surprised.

I'm at least glad to see that the American government is truly aware of how unhappy the peoples of the broken nation of Iraq are with them, an estimated average civilian death toll of 105722. Yah, I should damn say they're not happy.


If they do actually try to stick around, Iran is gonna see through that # for realz, and it will be a slippery slope from there on ladies and gentlemen.

At least in this article, they are hoping we will be asked to stay.

When I started this thread there was no talk of being asked.