Iraq General's 'Exit' Strategy

If this is a sincere proposal in could pave the way for our extrication from the Iraq quagmire. Or this could be a ruse to get Congress to vote to fund the troops indefinitely without a timetable, which the Bush gang opposes:

In a move that could portend a strategy change, the commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq said yesterday he has proposed reducing his troop levels and next year shifting to missions focused less on direct combat.

Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon told The Associated Press that if current trends hold, he would like to begin this troop reduction and change in mission in Nineveh province, where he said Iraqi army forces already are operating nearly independently. He has proposed shifting the province to Iraqi government control as early as August.

Nineveh's capital is Mosul, the country's third-largest city.

If put in place, Mixon's approach would not necessarily mean an overall reduction in U.S. troops early next year. It could mean shifting some of the nearly 24,000 troops under Mixon from the north to other areas.