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By Frank James

Thomas Ricks, one of the nation's most highly regarded experts on the issues of Iraq and the U.S. military, had a killer quote on Morning Edition about the Obama Administration's continued message about drawing down "combat troops" from Iraq, with a total withdrawal by the end of 2011. It came in a conversation with NPR guest host David Greene.

RICKS: Obama is saying we're going to get the combat troops out. Guess what? There are no non-combat troops in the U.S. military. There is no pacifist wing of the military.

DAVID: So what does that mean when he says get the combat troops out?


RICKS: it's a meaningless phrase. Either you have troops there or you don't. If American troops are there they will be involved in combat. In fact, American troops who are advisers to Iraqi units are going to be vulnerable.

In other words, the president's constant usage of "combat troops" leaves the impression he's removing "trigger pullers" but leaving behind some other parts of the military (like engineers maybe?) to help the Iraqis. But that's not what's really happening, as Ricks points out.

And note what Ricks says about the trainers being vulnerable. That concern has worried policymakers since small groups of trainers attached to Iraqi units of uncertain competence and sometimes loyalty could find themselves in trouble during firefights with the enemy.

In case you missed it, the interview is worth listening to its entirety because Ricks, a senior fellow at the Center for A New American Security, says that not only is this summer going to be bad for U.S. troops who will still be fighting and dying, but next year could even worse since first places U.S. troops will be removed from will be those places most easily secured by Iraqi troops.

12:54 - July 2, 2009

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