McCain, Obama see higher troop levels

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http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20081030/NEWS01/810300324/1006/new

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McCain, Obama see higher troop levels

BY PATRICK PETERSON • FLORIDA TODAY • October 30, 2008

One candidate plans to add 150,000 soldiers and Marines, while the

other plans to add 92,000 troops to the current planned U.S. military

force of 750,000.

Both figures apparently indicate a commitment to maintaining the wars

against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sen. McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, plans to add

150,000 soldiers and Marines, which would add between $13 billion and

$15 billion to the federal budget. He would like troops to remain in

Iraq until commanders on the ground decide the time to withdraw is

appropriate.

" We've now withdrawn all of the combat brigades . . . for the surge.

We can start to think about what the glide path will look like, "

McCain senior foreign policy adviser Kori Schake said.

McCain would support a second surge if fighting between Sunnis and

Shiites escalates. He opposes setting a timetable.

" Sen. McCain believes we actually need to win the war in Iraq, not

just end the war in Iraq, " Schake said.

Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, thinks the time has come

to significantly reduce U.S. involvement in Iraq, as long as the

Iraqis move toward political reconciliation.

" We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless

getting in, " said Ian Bassin, Obama's Florida policy director. " We

can withdraw our combat brigades within 16 months and retain a

residual force in Iraq and in the region to conduct targeted counter-

terrorism missions against al-Qaida in Iraq and to protect American

personnel. "

U.S. forces in Iraq will train Iraqis, but they will not build

permanent bases.

" If genocide were to break out, Sen. Obama has said he will reserve

the right, along with the international community, to intervene if we

can stop it, " Bassin said.

Both candidates have been critical of the Bush administration's

handling of the war and its aftermath.

But McCain supported the war, and Obama opposed it in 2003.

Both candidates support an increase in the number of soldiers and

Marines to give those on frequent deployments a respite from spending

time away from their families.

" It's obvious to we are asking too much of our Army and our

Marine Corps, " Schake said.

Obama favors increasing the Army levels by 65,000 and the Marine

Corps by 27,000, Bassin said.

" They've been asked to return for repeat tours, " Bassin said.

More soldiers would decrease the battle weariness of the troops and

help soldiers' families have a more stable existence.

The next administration may have to deal with an increasingly

powerful Russia, which is less reluctant to use military force

against smaller countries.

" Sen. Obama will address the challenge Russia poses by pursuing an

integrated and vigorous strategy that encompasses the entire region, "

Bassin said. " The core components of this strategy include:

strengthening the trans-Atlantic alliance so that we deal with Russia

with one, unified voice; and supporting democratic partners and

upholding principles of sovereignty throughout Europe and Eurasia

while working proactively to gauge effectively the intentions of

actors in the region, and address tensions between countries before

they escalate into military confrontations. "

McCain's plan for an enduring peace is " based on freedom, " Schake

said.

" He believes we can positively shape the international order by

grabbing onto fledgling democracies and helping strengthen them, "

Schake said. " One of the most important ways the U.S. can do so is to

help those countries be secure.

" When transitioning states feel secure, they are much more likely to

make the brave political choices domestically that will make them

democratic and prosperous. "

Contact at 242-3673 or ppeterson@....