Bush's decision will affect only those troops sent to Iraq as of Aug. 1 or later, meaning that those already there still have to complete 15-month tours. Bobby Muller, president of Veterans for America, an advocacy group, said that nearly half of the Army's active-duty frontline units are currently deployed for 15 months, and that Bush's decision leaves them out.

"In short, this is a hollow announcement; it has no immediate effect," Muller said. "It is nothing more than political posturing at the expense of our troops. Our soldiers are unraveling and they need their commander in chief to provide immediate relief."

House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) applauded Bush's move. "But it only resets us to where we were last winter," he added. "This pace will still wear our troops out." Ilan Goldenberg, a scholar at the National Security Network, said on a conference call organized by antiwar activists that Bush cannot portray the move as a sign of progress. "The military is so strained, the president really didn't have a choice," he said.

Cody earlier testified to the Senate that, in order to maintain the Army's readiness, tour cycles of 12 months on, 12 months off (like the one Bush announced this morning) would likely not be enough. "Where we need to be with this force is no more than 12 months on the ground and 24 months back," he said, an unlikely proposition given Petraeus' recommendation that troop withdrawals be indefinitely suspended in July. Be that as it may, Cody is not alone in sounding the alarm. The National Security Network, in advance of this morning's press conference at the White House, compiled a list of warnings from senior military leaders about the negative impact of Iraq deployments on the nation's armed forces. Read it here.

Photo used under a Creative Commons license from klika100.