# More Proof That Shrub's "Surge" is a DAMNED Shitty Idea **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 2, 2007, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521 "2007-02-02T10:44:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/1 "2007-02-02T10:44:28Z")
[The Congressional Budget Office ain’t buyin’ the Admin spin.](http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/02/TNScbosurge070201/) > [@](#): > > A new congressional report says the increase of 21,500 combat troops for Iraq proposed by the Bush administration could result in up to 50,000 troops actually being deployed to the region. > > The report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office bases that projection on the fact that the Bush plan is unclear about whether the 21,500 troops needed to quell violence are all combat troops or if that number already includes support forces. > > “Over the past few years, DoD’s practice has been to deploy a total of about 9,500 per combat brigade to the Iraq theater, including about 4,000 combat troops and about 5,500 supporting troops,” says the five-page report requested by Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., the House Budget Committee chairman, and Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the House Armed Services Committee chairman. And the price tag for this fucking fiasco in the making? Up to $27 **billion**. That’s right, $27 Carl Sagan units! Jesus fuck! Do you have _any_ idea of what I could do with _half_ that money? First, and foremost, I’d buy me a tropical island and stock it with half nekkid wimmins. That’d eat up about half a billion, so I’d have $13 billion left. I’d take $3 billion of that, call up Burt Rutan and say, “Get me to the Moon.” I’d take half the remaining $10 billion and use it to start a safe, environmentally friendly, low-cost car company, take the rest and start building Bucky Fuller’s [Dymaxion Dwelling Units](http://bfi.org/domes) to help solve housing shortages. Mind you, this is just the shit that I’m thinking of off the top of my head, gimmie a couple of hours, and I could come up with a metric assload of stuff to do with the money that would benefit _most_ of mankind. Instead, we’re going to take that money, and untold number of lives and flush them down the crapper. More and more, I want someone to yank Shrub out of office and club him like a baby harp seal. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/2 "2007-02-02T10:57:47Z")
What - Bush lied to us? _Again??_ I’m _shocked_. Wait a minute - no, I’m not. Just profoundly depressed. Count me among the 58% of Americans who wish Bush’s Presidency were over today, rather than two years down the road. I’m also afraid that the next few months will determine whether we have a system of checks and balances, responsive to the will of the people, or whether we have an elected dictatorship. The American people want to wind down this war, but it’s still unclear whether anything short of a 2/3 majority of both houses of Congress will be able to prevent Bush from _expanding_ it. Bush may not be listening to anyone else in the car, but he’s still got the keys. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/3 "2007-02-02T12:06:39Z")
OK, since lying to the public and Congress, flouting the Constitution, spitting on the Geneva Convention, sending thousand of good soldiers to die with no fucking plan and being a self-righteous arrogant little prick aren’t enough, I’m officially taking up a collection fund\* to send me to Washington D.C., where I will personally give the motherfucker a blowjob so we can get him out of office. (\*No, I’m not.) ---
**Author:** ![Thrasymachus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Thrasymachus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thrasymachus)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/4 "2007-02-02T12:12:02Z")
Just wanted to get a word in edgewise before the rant gains traction… Thanks for mentioning R. Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion house. Very cool piece of kit - a house built like an aircraft cabin! I’d love to live in one myself ever since walking through the prototype one in a museum… But maybe I’m just odd… ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/5 "2007-02-02T16:19:08Z")
This was a big item on _Countdown_ last night. We’re likely to have over 200,000 troops there soon. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/6 "2007-02-02T16:41:37Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] OK, since lying to the public and Congress, flouting the Constitution, spitting on the Geneva Convention, sending thousand of good soldiers to die with no fucking plan and being a self-righteous arrogant little prick aren’t enough, I’m officially taking up a collection fund\* to send me to Washington D.C., where I will personally give the motherfucker a blowjob so we can get him out of office. (\*No, I’m not.) [/QUOTE] Not to nitpick, but the location of your astrick means that you’re not taking up a collection fund, but rather using your own money to implement the plan laid out. Taking one for the team, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/7 "2007-02-02T16:54:43Z")
Yup. It appears Bush lied. Again. Will Congress do anything about it. I doubt it. Will the American People do anything about it. I doubt it. More Americans will die needlessly in a war that has been a failure since Day One. My point? It’s like a fire out in the the country on the county line. Two different volunteer fire companies arrive to put out the fire. But the two fire chiefs would rather argue about who got their first and which side of the county line the house sits, than just put out the damn fire. So the two fire chiefs argue. The firefighters stand there and wait for orders. And the house burns to the ground. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/8 "2007-02-02T18:50:20Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] OK, since lying to the public and Congress, flouting the Constitution, spitting on the Geneva Convention, sending thousand of good soldiers to die with no fucking plan and being a self-righteous arrogant little prick aren’t enough, I’m officially taking up a collection fund\* to send me to Washington D.C., where I will personally give the motherfucker a blowjob so we can get him out of office. (\*No, I’m not.) [/QUOTE] Perhaps Monica can be coaxed out of retirement? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/9 "2007-02-02T18:57:38Z")
My first though on hearing the original number of 21500 was that it only meant about 8 or 9 thousand combat troops and that wouldn’t make a big difference. However, if GW means combat troops then this is just another case of the administration’s “bait and switch” operation. Just like the drug program that was sold on the basis of a certain cost but turned to to have an actual cost of double or triple the advertised number. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/10 "2007-02-02T19:28:47Z")
[QUOTE=David Simmons] My first though on hearing the original number of 21500 was that it only meant about 8 or 9 thousand combat troops and that wouldn’t make a big difference. However, if GW means combat troops then this is just another case of the administration’s “bait and switch” operation. Just like the drug program that was sold on the basis of a certain cost but turned to to have an actual cost of double or triple the advertised number. [/QUOTE] What do you call someone in the Bush administration who tells the truth? Unemployed ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/11 "2007-02-02T19:49:54Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] What do you call someone in the Bush administration who tells the truth? (snip) [/QUOTE] Indicted. (edited to fix quote) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/12 "2007-02-02T19:53:49Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] OK, since lying to the public and Congress, flouting the Constitution, spitting on the Geneva Convention, sending thousand of good soldiers to die with no fucking plan and being a self-righteous arrogant little prick aren’t enough, I’m officially taking up a collection fund\* to send me to Washington D.C., where I will personally give the motherfucker a blowjob so we can get him out of office. [/QUOTE] All I can say is: If you do it - bite. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/13 "2007-02-03T07:16:11Z")
[I believe the technical definition of what the NIE describes is “clusterfuck.”](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7138273) > [@](#): > > The situation in Iraq is very bad and getting worse. That’s the judgment of a new National Intelligence Estimate that represents the views of all 16 U.S. spy agencies. The report also says that Iraqi leaders will be “hard pressed” to stabilize the country by the middle of 2008. Of course, F.U.B.A.R. works too. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/14 "2007-02-03T12:04:00Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] All I can say is: If you do it - bite. 😃 [/QUOTE] He’d be an \* it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/15 "2007-02-03T15:10:51Z")
[QUOTE=The King of Soup] He’d be an \* it. [/QUOTE] _stunned silence_ _slow applause_ Brilliant, Sir! Just…brilliant. My punning hat is off to you. ('Though it has daisies and ribbons, 'cause I’m a “she”.) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/16 "2007-02-03T18:29:12Z")
I hate this, and I’ll be a long time forgiving… I don’t get it. OK? **OK?**!! I don’t _get_ it! What? What? Asterisk-it? Star-it? Don’t make me ask my son. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/17 "2007-02-03T18:43:02Z")
Forgive me, please, **'luci** , for hanging back and letting you take that bullet. Closest I was able to come up with was “ass” - it, which doesn’t quite go. So tell us, **The King of Soup** and **WhyNot** , what does it mean? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/18 "2007-02-03T18:47:20Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Forgive me, please, **'luci** , for hanging back and letting you take that bullet… [/QUOTE] _Egotist te absolvo_. Go, and freak freely. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/19 "2007-02-03T18:47:50Z")
Sound it out guys. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521/20 "2007-02-03T18:48:28Z")
He’d be an ass to risk it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-proof-that-shrubs-surge-is-a-damned-shitty-idea/390521.md?page=2)