We may have 80,000 troops in Iraq until 2010 if Obama is boss

At least that is the figure put out there by one of his key advisers.

Adviser Colin Kahl wrote in a policy paper for the Center for a New American Security that the United States should transition to an “over-watch” force of between 60,000 and 80,000 troops by the end of 2010, according to an article Friday in the New York Sun.

I guess Obama can just ignore the guy and start pulling people out by the end of 2008 no matter what the situation is on the ground. Maybe, someone in his camp is finally coming to the realization that you can't pull everyone out in 16 months and not have Iraq fall apart. Also these two things would be in such quick succession that they would be seen as a "cause and effect" type of thing.

Chaos in Iraq due to an early US pullout would be just in time for the midterm elections as well. The GOP tactic of saying that the "Dems lost the Iraq War" would be almost impossible to fight back against. I think Obama needs to tread lightly on Iraq unless the Dems want only 2 years to get any sort of "progressive agenda" passed.