This woman is on the money, she is for the troops first. Our state has some who are in touch. Gives me hope. See at all levels there are a few who want this experiment we are enjoying (some not as much as others) To work properly. As most of us and our countrymen. It can correct itself, adjust and move on as a united nation, working for th ebeyyerment and in a way as to not flaunt our power. The one after. Just sad news.

Delegation reacts to Gen. Petraeus
By Tim Carpenter
The Capital-Journal
Published Thursday, April 10, 2008
U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda responded Wednesday to the latest military update on Iraq with concern that lengthy deployments had weakened the nation's capacity to counter future terrorism threats.

Boyda, a Kansas Democrat who represents Topeka in Congress, said U.S. forces should be redeployed from Iraq to a fault line on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border from where military intelligence experts believe the next domestic terrorism threat could emerge.

COMING HOME

After 15 months in Iraq, the first contingent of soldiers from Fort Riley is about to return home.

The soldiers were part of the 4th Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division that was sent to Iraq last year, when the U.S. beefed up its troop levels.

Fort Riley officials say the first 500 soldiers will return to Kansas today, with more expected to arrive over the next two weeks. In all, 3,400 soldiers from the brigade will return.
"I'm not calling for an immediate withdrawal," she said in an interview from Washington. "I'm calling for a responsible, careful redeployment."

During the past two days, Gen. David Petraeus, commander of American forces in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the American ambassador to Iraq, delivered assessments of the situation there to House and Senate committees. Both spoke of fragile, uneven improvements resulting from the 2007 troop surge, but they made no promises for significant reduction in the American military presence in Iraq beyond a planned scale-down from the surge.

Petraeus reported the surge cut insurgent attacks and Iraq's forces were more capable, but the potential of Sunni or Shiite violence remained high. He recommended 20,000 extra combat troops be withdrawn by July, followed by a 45-day evaluation of conditions in Iraq prior to discussion of further pullouts.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said he viewed it as a "very good report" from the front line in Iraq.

"It's still a difficult situation," the senator said. "Overall, certainly from a year ago, from where we were a year ago, this is a real turnaround."

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said he had confidence in Petraeus' plan for cautious trimming of the number of American troops in Iraq.

"His recommendation for a pause in troop reductions makes common sense if we are to preserve the progress we have made to date," Roberts said.

He said it was important the United States shorten deployments to 12 months from the current 15 months.

"This is overdue for our men and women in uniform and their families," he said.

The fighting in Iraq has cost the United States billions of dollars and the lives of more than 4,000 soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen.

Boyda said other high-ranking officers have expressed concern in congressional briefings that six years of war in Afghanistan and five in Iraq stretched the military's readiness, in terms of manpower and equipment, close to a "red line." The U.S. armed forces has the capacity to respond to a new crisis, she said, but not sustain that deployment.

"We are in a volatile, dangerous situation," Boyda said. "The American people are waking up to the fact that having all our eggs in Iraq is not keeping us safer."

She said the U.S. troop surge resulted in tactical success on the ground, but not definitive advances in sectarian reconciliation among Iraqis.

Brownback agreed political unrest still dominated the war-torn country's landscape.

"The Iraqis are making some political progress," he said. "They need to make more. They need to take on issues more themselves."

Brownback also said U.S. public opinion polls indicate Americans are conflicted on Iraq.

"People don't want to be there," he said, "but they also don't want to lose."

Reader comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Click here for our full user agreement.

You can rate each comment by clicking the or buttons.
To report an inappropriate comment, click the .

Reader Comments
+ 3 Rating Posted by: billb40 at Apr 10, 2008 at 09:03:47 AM
The war in Iraq needs to be turned over to Iraq. It is their country let them do whatever they want. We have spent to much in lives and limbs. The we are not in the best position to deal with terrorist threats as long as we stay deeply involved in this mess.

-3 Rating Posted by: 65impala at Apr 10, 2008 at 09:26:35 AM
To the contrary, This is the position we need to be in at this time. The insurgents are the terrest threats. Granted, the Iraq people need to step up. If we leave now the terrorists will most definitly use the instability to fund and train for future attacks. Hate President Bush if you must, but if you honestly think back to 9/11/01, we all were looking over our collective shoulders waiting for the next major attack. It has been 6 years and 6 months since that tragedy and this country has not had the major attack that we were all expecting. That is not a fluke. That is from our good soldiers and our domestic agencies keeping them, the terrists, on the run. It is worth every penney and drop of blood to keep us safe.

+ 3 Rating Posted by: barticus at Apr 10, 2008 at 11:52:14 AM
65impala: It's been a picnic since 9/11, hasn't it? More than 4,000 young Americans dead and approximately 30,000 maimed for life. We will have to spend over $3 TRILLION to recover from this disaster. History will show that the United States began its descent as a world power when George Bush became president.

Posted by: TopekaIsBoring at Apr 10, 2008 at 12:24:02 PM
Six more months! All we need is six more months and we will win!

+ 3 Rating Posted by: T-TownTracker at Apr 10, 2008 at 12:41:51 PM
Why did you have to bring up 9/11? Now I gotta jump in. Intelligence was skewed to loosely link Iraq to 9/11. That is an universally accepted fact. It was British intelligence, and the British have said it was wrong. We had the world behind us in our fight on terror and that good will was squandered. This war never was about 9/11, it was just an excuse and we will have a presence in Irag until the oil is gone. Remember the plan to have the oil pay for the war? HA! Where is the oil money going now??? Does anyone even ask? Deep down we all know how the world works, but only some of us can stop salute our commander-in-chief with our heads stuck in the sand.

Posted by: T-TownTracker at Apr 10, 2008 at 12:43:38 PM
^ please omit the word "stop" in the last sentence.

-1 Rating Posted by: T-TownTracker at Apr 10, 2008 at 12:47:33 PM
barticus, I don't think many of us are ready to thrown in the towel yet.

-1 Rating Posted by: 65impala at Apr 10, 2008 at 03:23:51 PM
If you would all read, I did not say that Iraq was involved loosly or directly, but it sure keeps them, the radical muslum movement, occupied there and not here. If it were indeed about the US wanting the oil, we would have claimed it for ourselves as the spoils of war. No, this action was to rid the Iraqi people from a murdering dictator who was killing his own people and threatening the stability of the region. I will grant you there were many unforseen effects of removing Saddam. Like they say hindsight is 20/20.

You can comment by logging in.

What do you want to be our direction? Our dealings with other nations? How to correct the market to a better deal and growth while paying fair due. Awwww dreams, hope.

Homeless man arrested in rape
The Capital-Journal
Published Thursday, April 10, 2008
A homeless man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a rape that occurred Tuesday in Manhattan.

Derek Suave Myers, 19, was booked into the Riley County Jail in connection with kidnapping and rape.

Riley County police Capt. Hank Nelson said officers were notified of the rape Tuesday afternoon. An investigation showed the victim had been held against her will and raped on the southwest side of the city.

Myers, who was known by the victim, is being held on $100,000 bond.

__________________
Yea can't keep the words of your great leader.

Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”