Robert Gates and Increasing the Size of the Army

In what was likely his last news conference of 2006, President Bush said today, "We're not winning" in Iraq but "we're not losing," and eventually "we're going to win." While the President has not decided if that will require a "surge" of troops in the short run, he does want to increase the overall size of the Army and the Marines. The cost--and the politics--of building ground forces, comprised a major plank in John Kerry's Presidential platform two years ago. Meantime, fresh from his swearing in as Donald Rumsfeld's replacement, Defense Secretary Robert Gates already is on the ground in Iraq, talking to reporters about the possibilities of a short term "surge" and a long term increase in America's ground forces.