MILITARY MEETS WITH BUSH BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO TELL HIM MILITARY IS STRETCHED TO BREAKING POINT

We've heard the words before. Some retired military officer (I call them "helmet heads") getting some TV face time to say the military is stretched to the breaking point because of constant rotations and the stop-loss plan.

But now comes word that President Bush met behind closed doors with ACTIVE duty military brass who are saying they will go along with the slowdown in troop reductions for now, but there has to be a plan to reduce troops in Iraq and Afghanistan very, very soon.

Military tells Bush of troop strains

By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer 27 minutes ago

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080326/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq

WASHINGTON - Behind the Pentagon's closed doors, U.S. military leaders told President Bush Wednesday they are worried about the Iraq war's mounting strain on troops and their families. But they indicated they'd go along with a brief halt in pulling out troops this summer.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff did say senior commanders in Iraq should make more frequent assessments of security conditions, an idea that appeared aimed at increasing pressure for more rapid troop reductions.

The chiefs' concern is that U.S. forces are being worn thin, compromising the Pentagon's ability to handle crises elsewhere in the world.

In the war zone itself, two more American soldiers were killed Wednesday in separate attacks in Baghdad, raising the U.S. death toll to at least 4,003, according to an Associated Press count.

Volleys of rockets also slammed into Baghdad's Green Zone for the third day this week, and the U.S. Embassy said three Americans were seriously wounded. At least eight Iraqis were killed elsewhere in the capital by rounds that apparently fell short.

Wednesday's 90-minute Pentagon session, held in a secure conference room known as "the Tank," was arranged by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to provide Bush an additional set of military views as he prepares to decide how to proceed in Iraq once his troop buildup, which began in 2007, runs its course by July.

"Armed with all that, the president must now decide the way ahead in Iraq," said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell. The discussion covered not only Iraq but Afghanistan, where violence has spiked, and broader military matters, said Morrell, who briefed reporters without giving details of the discussion. Some specifics were provided by defense officials, commenting on condition of anonymity in order to speak more freely.

The Joint Chiefs are particularly concerned about Afghanistan and an increasingly active Taliban insurgency.

The United States has about 31,000 troops in Afghanistan and 156,000 in Iraq.