NBC: Pentagon May Call Up 12,000 National Guard

NBC News reports that the Pentagon is preparing to send an additional 12,000 National Guard combat forces to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The troops will come from four Guard combat brigades in different states. They said papers ordering the deployment, which would run for one year beginning in early 2008, were awaiting Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ signature. The deployment is sure to ignite a firestorm on Capitol Hill, where Democrats in Congress are maneuvering to scale back the U.S. commitment in Iraq. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is pushing a proposal to end most spending on the war in 2008, limiting it to targeted operations against al-Qaida, training for Iraqi troops and protection for U.S. forces.