Hell, I knew how many troops were overseas, and Im not running for president.
Since Blackwater's mercenaries, the CIA and other civilian subcontractors are not included in any estimates of the total US occupation force, no, you don't know the numbers. You're probably off by 6 figures.
Black ops money, oil companies' involvement, details of the 14 permanent bases, the total number of the American presence, troops from other countries that are there at the behest of the US, etc., etc., are not common knowledge. When RP says we should come home, he means we should come home. As commander-in-chief he would deal with the withdrawal in detail with the joint chiefs and the various intelligence agencies involved to make that happen.
His knowing the exact numbers or the exact withdrawal plans for Tim Russert's (or anyone else's) gratification is irrelevant, and not an appropriate question, IMHO.
The same goes for the elimination of the IRS. Since the military's massive budget is intertwined with many agencies and includes trillions of 'lost' dollars, it would be lunacy to describe the exact timetables for such an historic achievement.
It suffices to say that the plan would be to drastically cut military and other Empire expenditures (which a President can move unilaterally to do) before turning to domestic spending cuts which can only be achieved by consensus and working with Congress.
Do you really think Russert would have allowed the proper time to discuss these issues?
Bosso
