Iraq war a mistake, poll finds

WASHINGTON — For the first time, a majority of Americans say they think the United States made a mistake sending troops to Iraq, according to a poll released yesterday.

The CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll found that 54 percent of people say the war was a mistake, up from 41 percent who felt that way earlier this month.

The poll also found that more than half say the Iraq war has made the United States less safe from terrorism. Only a third said it made this country safer.

The finding that more than half now think the Iraq war was a mistake recalls the disillusionment of Americans in 1968 with the Vietnam War. The first time a majority said that was a mistake was in August 1968.

The poll of 1,005 adults was taken June 21-23 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Shorter tours of duty under consideration

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has asked the Army to consider shorter tours of duty for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, while his choice for a new commander in Iraq acknowledged yesterday that the military might seek 25,000 additional troops there.

Rumsfeld asked the Army’s top civilian and uniformed leaders in a June 14 memorandum to explain whether they think shortening tours of duty from one year to as little as six months would be beneficial.

"I would be interested to hear from you as to why you think you should keep doing 12-month rotations, and, if you were to change to 6, 7, 8 or 9 months, how you would do it and what would be the pros and cons," Rumsfeld said in the memo to Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker, obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

Rumsfeld asked for an answer by July 9, and noted in the memo that he had met with U.S. Marine officials to discuss their seven-month tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Rumsfeld memo reflected what military officials said was the extent of Rumsfeld’s concern over the increasing strain on Army forces as 130,000 U.S. troops remain on Iraqi soil — some for the second time.

Army Gen. George Casey told Congress yesterday that top commanders were considering adding 15,000 to 25,000 additional troops to the 138,000 now in Iraq.

In a confirmation hearing to take over from Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez as the top U.S. ground commander in Iraq, Casey said escalating violence associated with next week’s transfer of power from the U.S.-led coalition to an interim Iraqi government would prevent reductions of troops.

Israeli-made bullets to be used in training

WASHINGTON — Israeli-made bullets bought by the U.S. Army to plug a shortfall should be used for training only, not to fight Muslim guerrillas in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. lawmakers told Army generals yesterday.

Since the Army has other stockpiled ammunition, "by no means, under any circumstances should a round (from Israel) be utilized," said Rep. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, the top Democrat on a House Armed Services subcommittee with jurisdiction over land forces.

The Army contracted with Israel Military Industries Ltd. in December for $70 million in small-caliber ammunition.

Although the Army should not have to worry about "political correctness," Abercrombie was making a valid point about the propaganda pitfalls of using Israeli rounds in the U.S.-declared war on terror, said Rep. Curt Weldon, the Pennsylvania Republican who chairs the subcommittee on tactical air and land forces.

"There’s a sensitivity that I think all of us recognize," Weldon said.

Also...

Shiite militiamen loyal to radical Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr declared a unilateral cease-fire yesterday in Baghdad’s Sadr City slum — their last holdout against U.S. troops — in the latest sign that Sadr is softening his hard line against U.S. troops and their Iraqi political allies ahead of the formal handover of power from the U.S.-led occupation to an interim government next week.

Western advisers completed their handover of Iraq’s remaining government ministries to Iraqis yesterday, six days before the end of the U.S.-led occupation.

The final 11 of 25 coalition-run ministries relinquished include some of the most sensitive, including the defense, interior and justice ministries. Iraqi ministers now oversee more than 1 million government workers.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001965110_iraqdig25.html