Defense analysts and reporters commenting on the bipartisan Iraq Study Group report—to be publicly released Wednesday—say it offers something for both Democrats and Republicans. For Democrats, there is the proposal to pull out combat units by 2008; while for the Administration, there is a caveat that would hinge any withdrawal on conditions not time.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.