Did Bush reduce US Army tours in Iraq from 15 to 12 months?
Mr. Bush announced that beginning in August, Army tours would be reduced from 15 to 12 months. But you have to read the fine print and do the math to see how fraudulent this is. As Brandon Friedman at VetVoice points out, none of the soldiers currently on extended 15 month tours would benefit, since the announcement only applies to units sent in August 2008 or later. That means that the change only affects those not there yet and wouldn’t benefit them until 12 months later — August 2009 — well into the next President’s term. But that’s not the end of the President’s fraud. There were 20 combat brigades in Iraq, plus additional support units. Total US troop limits are forcing Petraeus to give up 5 of those brigades as their tours end. But there are 15 other brigades (plus the thousands of additional support troops) that also have rotations scheduled in the next few months. Bush’s announcement doesn’t apply to the soldiers who, between now and August, must be sent back to Iraq to replace
