President Bush announced Jan. 10 on live television that 21,500 more troops would be sent to Iraq.

Americans groaned in protest. They know the days of the Iraq war are numbered, but they also know Bush will never concede the impossibility of victory. Despite rumors Congress may cut defense funding, Bush said Jan. 14 on “60 Minutes” that he’s “made his decision,” and he’s “going forward.”

Bush is not the devil, as some have called him. President Bush is an elected official whose term will end Jan. 20, 2009. President Bush, like the 132,000 troops he sent to Iraq, is a mere mortal. He possesses no supernatural power to prolong his term or win the war. However, his decision may actually be good for the long-term goal of getting those 132,000 current troops out of Iraq.

The need to maintain overall troop levels is essential to the lives of those soldiers stationed there, especially as nations like Britain and Italy begin to pull out.

Although most of these countries’ contributions are a lot smaller than America’s, the coalition is shrinking. Just as layoffs in a company can affect productivity as a whole, it is likely troop withdrawals in one area can affect all of the military’s carefully coordinated operations.

Let’s pretend the entire coalition police force leaves one town. Either the town remains unguarded and insurgents are free to set up operations, or the coalition forces must redistribute troops away from strategic points. Redistribution would put stress on current operations and might make the difference between success and failure, especially in a hot zone.

Failure means dead American soldiers. Regardless of how everybody feels politically about the war, everyone opposes more deaths.

So does Bush.

As we gaze into the crystal ball, a few outcomes materialize. Here are my predictions: The war will not end during Bush’s term. Further operations including war with Iran will be unlikely, because Congress will not increase funding.

The reasoning behind Bush’s plan is logical. Adding troops to replace others that are leaving is vital to save lives and attempt to clean up the mess.

Pullout is inevitable, even if far off, but the safest way to come out of Iraq is not to leave slowly. We must maintain the status quo until Congress stops payment on operations in Iraq, or until a future president declares a complete withdrawal. This option should keep the most people alive without further complicating the mess we have made.