From the yahoo.news via the A.P.:
WASHINGTON – President Bush envisions a long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq similar to the one in South Korea where American forces have helped keep an uneasy peace for more than 50 years, the White House said Wednesday.
The comparison was offered as the Pentagon announced the completion of the troop buildup ordered by Bush in January. The last of about 21,500 combat troops to arrive were an Army brigade in Baghdad and a Marine unit heading into the Anbar province in western Iraq.
We’ve been at war with North Korea for more than 20,800 days, but there is a huge difference. In Korea, we fought for – and then held- real estate. We pushed the North Koreans foot by foot until we hit the Yalu then we advanced in the opposite direction until we hit the 38th parallel.
In Vietnam, we didn’t hold onto the real estate.
In Gulf 1, we did.
In Iraq, we don’t. If I read the maps correctly, the green zone is getting smaller yet our troops levels are back to 2005 levels. Escalation + Smaller acreage = Vietraq (or is it Iraqnam?)