Bush administration prepares to withdraw from Iraq

In spite of last week's bluster and bombast, the LA Times reports that the Bush administration is preparing to withdraw from Iraq beginning in the Spring.

Condi Rice says the training of Iraqi troops is progressing so that they can replace the American troops. This indicates that the U.S. troops can be removed from Iraq since the key was when Iraqi troops could replace them. This is actually just a fig leaf to cover necessity. The real problem is that the U.S. troops can no longer sustain the mission there and will have to be removed.

The actual state of Iraqi troops is probably no better than it was early in the Fall, when it was announced that there was only a single battalion capable of replacing the U.S. troops.

The only thing that remains is the schedule for withdrawal of troops, determining what U.S. support units will remain to support the Iraqis, and to determine how the Bush Administration is going to blame this retreat on the Democrats.