by Thomas J. Basile

About the author: Thomas J. Basile is the senior press adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.

Editor's Note: The following excerpt is based on queries submitted to Thomas J. Basile at "Ask the White House," an online interactive forum where individuals can submit questions to Bush administration officials.

Ashleigh, from Clemson writes: Tom, how stretched is the U.S. military troops?

Tom Basile: Thank you for the question.

As Secretary [of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld has said, we have enough troops in Iraq to handle the job. In addition to the American presence, a number of Coalition partners including Great Britain, Poland, and Spain also have troops in Iraq performing vital functions.

What is important to note when talking about the numbers of troops needed, is...