Presurge

A military official said Gen. Allen, in recent briefings with lawmakers and others, has not used specific numbers, speaking only about his preference to stay at presurge troop levels. ❋ Adam Entous (2011)

McCain said today that we have drawn down our troops to presurge levels. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Because the quantity of commentary claiming that Israel cannot possibly achieve any kind of successful outcome in Gaza is already approaching presurge levels of Iraq defeatism. ❋ Unknown (2009)

Among them was Gen. George Casey, Army chief of staff, who had been the commanding officer in Iraq in the deadliest presurge days. ❋ Unknown (2009)

And with the surge that has worked we're now down to presurge numbers in Iraq. ❋ Unknown (2008)

And now, Petraeus is saying tactically we're going to draw the surge down back to presurge levels because frankly, we don't have any more troops. ❋ Unknown (2008)

"We have drawn down to presurge levels," Sen. McCain told a town-hall-style meeting in Wisconsin Thursday. ❋ Unknown (2008)

With violence down, U.S. force levels in Iraq are expected to return to about 140,000 by the end of the summer, roughly in line with presurge levels. ❋ Unknown (2008)

While the U.S. military has withdrawn brigades employed in President Bush's 2007 surge strategy, about 155,000 troops remain in Iraq, well above the 130,000 presurge level. ❋ Unknown (2008)

We believe at some time around that time we'll begin to reduce our forces down to presurge levels. ❋ Unknown (2007)

Beyond that, if my recommendations are approved, that unit's departure will be followed by a withdraw of a brigade combat team without replacement in mid-December, and the further redeployment without replacement of four other brigade combat teams and the two surge marine battalions in first seven months of 2008, until we reach the presurge levels of 15 brigade combat teams by mid-July, 2008. ❋ Unknown (2007)

Force reductions will continue beyond the presurge levels of brigade combat teams that we will reach by mid-July, 2008. ❋ Unknown (2007)

She renamed the general commanding the troops in Afghanistan, seriously misstated the McCain campaign's position on a provision to allow bankruptcy judges to rewrite mortgage payment terms (they oppose it) and wrongly said that the number of troops in Iraq were "down to presurge numbers." ❋ Unknown (2008)

Pastor_Doodah: Talkin tar baby rickygee: early withdrawal might have helped bristol lib4: not at presurge numbers ❋ Unknown (2008)

The Energy Department was known to deploy extremely sophisticated SWAT teams at nuclear facilities the country over, and Cruz, evidently a little worn down from a year’s hard combat in and around Baghdad, dodging IEDs and seeing the effects on those who did not manage to dodge the IEDs, had succumbed to the generalized despair of the presurge environment. ❋ Stephen Hunter (2010)

"By the time we get to July 2011, all the presurge forces will have been there for two years. ❋ HELENE COOPER (2010)