Today House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and committee members Jim Marshall (D-Ga.), Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) and Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.) are discussing their agenda for Iraq in the 110th Congress during a forum entitled “The Way Forward in Iraq,” sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Skelton, who recently visited Iraq with a bipartisan Congressional delegation, said “Any plan that proposes an increase in deployed American forces must address the question of what the Iraqis will do to put political solutions in place and to take over greater security responsibilities. … My view remains that removing some number of American troops—however small—would send a more powerful message to our Iraqi partners than raising force levels.”
The Air Force could conduct an operation like Israel's successful air campaign against Iran's nuclear sites, military leadership and air defenses, but readiness issues would make it risky, airpower experts said. Limited spare parts and training, low mission capable rates and few flying hours would put a drag on USAF's…