Blue Crab Boulevard

NYT Now Publishing Classified Military Plans

Well, the last line has been crossed. The New York Times is now publishing secret military troop displacement plans. The are actually broadcasting the plans General Casey has drawn up for how the military is planning to draw down troop levels. This was a classified briefing and someone gave all the details to the NYT to publish.

That way the terrorists have advanced warning and can plan accordingly.

According to a classified briefing at the Pentagon this week by the commander, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the number of American combat brigades in Iraq is projected to decrease to 5 or 6 from the current level of 14 by December 2007.

Under the plan, the first reductions would involve two combat brigades that would rotate out of Iraq in September without being replaced. Military officials do not typically characterize reductions by total troop numbers, but rather by brigades. Combat brigades, which generally have about 3,500 troops, do not make up the bulk of the 127,000-member American force in Iraq, and other kinds of units would not be pulled out as quickly.

American officials emphasized that any withdrawals would depend on continued progress, including the development of competent Iraqi security forces, a reduction in Sunni Arab hostility toward the new Iraqi government and the assumption that the insurgency will not expand beyond Iraq's six central provinces. Even so, the projected troop withdrawals in 2007 are more significant than many experts had expected.

General Casey's briefing has remained a closely held secret, and it was described by American officials who agreed to discuss the details only on condition of anonymity. Word of the plan comes after a week in which the American troop presence in Iraq was stridently debated in Congress, with Democratic initiatives to force troop withdrawals defeated in the Senate.

This is beyond belief.

H/T Crosspatch Chronicles

Insanity, Left Wing, Media | Gaius Saturday, 24 June , 2006

By Shawn, Saturday, 24 June , 2006 @ 7:25 pm

The Old Gray Lady is thumbing her nose at the U.S. now. This is sedition at the least and treason at the worst.
By Dean Esmay, Saturday, 24 June , 2006 @ 9:17 pm

I am so disgusted I don’t know where to begin.

I’ll never willingly link a piece in either the LAT or the NYT again.
By Gaius, Saturday, 24 June , 2006 @ 9:23 pm

Captain Ed is speculating that it may be a “good” leak, but I’m not sure I buy it. I’m pretty angry right now. My son is over there and I take this crap very personally.
By TC@LeatherPenguin, Sunday, 25 June , 2006 @ 8:14 am

Unbelievable. It’s like Kessler’s *daring* Gonzales to indict his ass.
By Gaius, Sunday, 25 June , 2006 @ 8:37 am

It almost seems that way, doesn’t it?