15,000 is more than enough to make sure the 150,000 iraqi security forces are killing, terrorizing or imprisoning anyone who doesn't agree or resists
being governed by outside forces.
muqtada al-sadr has already declared that if all, and he means every single american in iraq, including "diplomats", businessmen etc, don't leave
the country by the deadline he will declare war and unleash his mahdi army on all american forces and anyone who opposes his actions.
he has extreme popular support and so far for the last 6-7 years his army has stayed out of the fighting. they are fully armed, rested and ready to
start an insurgency that will make the current insurgency look like a bunch of teenagers shooting cans in a parking lot.
he also is a muslim fundamentalist. so expect massive suicide bombing, oil destabilization i.e. gas prices soaring, and mass iraqi security
force defections.
of course we'll never hear about it after america "leaves". we'll just be scratching our heads. cursing exxon and shell on why the 4 gallons of gas
you just finished pumping cost you $167.
thanks to american arrogance, stupidity and ignorant greed, saddam will be looked on like a saint by the iraqi people compared to what has hit them
and will hit them the next 10 years.
edit on 22-7-2011 by randomname because: (no reason given)