A must read from today’s Washington Post.
Making Iraq Safe for Politics – Fred Kagan, Jack Keane & Michael O’Hanlon
Iraq’s parliament this month passed a new de-Baathification bill, which awaits only expected approval by the five-member presidency council before becoming law. Much remains to be done, but this is an important step toward political reconciliation — and it further strengthens the case for America to remain committed to its crucial mission in Iraq in the months and years ahead.
The reformed de-Baathification legislation is one of half a dozen key political issues codified into American law last year by President Bush and Congress as “benchmarks” we expected Iraqi leaders to address. Other matters so identified are hydrocarbon legislation; a provincial powers act (clarifying the roles of Iraq’s 18 provinces vis-a-vis the central government); a provincial election law to facilitate the next round of local elections; a process for holding a referendum on the political future of Kirkuk, the disputed northern oil city (and for compensating individual property holders and sectarian groups who lose out in such a vote); and a more transparent and trustworthy process for purging sectarian extremists from positions of government authority.
These benchmarks are reasonable goals. It is regrettable that insufficient progress has been made on the others (with the exception of the long, slow progress of purging extremists from official positions). What really matters, however, is that Iraqis come to view themselves as a single people working together to build a new nation, and address their inevitable differences legislatively rather than violently.
This political progress resulted from a year’s worth of substantial effort to reduce violence in Iraq. Proponents of the surge always said that getting violence under control was an essential prerequisite to reconciliation, not the other way around. The full surge has been in place and operating for just over six months, and already violence has fallen dramatically across the country. The achievement in such a short time of significant legislation that requires all sides to accept risk and compromise with people they had been fighting only a few months ago is remarkable. It would have been unattainable without the change in strategy and addition of American forces that helped bring the violence down.
Many people in Washington (mainly from one political party) are still urging, hoping and pushing for America to slink away from Iraq and give a victory to al-Qaeda. Luckily, our brave men and women on the ground (around the world) are taking this World War to the enemy….. and keeping further attacks on our homeland.
God Bless America and our brave US military.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
Starting immediately, Pelosi has the following comment:
“We held the President’s feet to the fire until he followed our advise and appointed
General Betrayusthat new general guy and increased our troops in Iraq. If we had not insisted on fighting this war right, Iraq would be mired in a Civil War.”Starting immediately, Reid has the following comment:
“We had lost in Iraq until the Democrat Congress found a general who would carry out our plan to break up the Civil War in Iraq by making a daring frontal attack against the militants. We have said from the beginning that only diplomacy will work in Iraq. Our plan of the military surge is leading to the day when we can use diplomacy to handle Iraq. It is always necessary for a people to understand the military might behind our words. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have backed our plan all of the way and that has helped the president to remain cooperative with us.”
Starting immediately, John F. Kerry has the following comment:
“I voted for winning the war in Iraq before I voted against losing the war in Iraq. Now the President is following my advice and things in Iraq finally are going the way I laid out in my detailed plan at the Aspen Conference in February on 2003. The surge, which I outlined at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 has made all the difference and I am proud to be the humble father of this key piece of military strategy. Military schools will be studying the Kerry Surge for centuries to come.”
Starting immediately, Hillary Clinton has the following comment:
“It is inescapable that experience is key to winning in Iraq. No one has more experience at the controls than I do. President Bush still has fewer years in the Whitehouse than I have. From the very beginning, I have been pushing for change in how we win in Iraq. Without my carefully crafted military campaign which is based on change, Iraq would be a shattered country with hundreds of tribal factions and our troops would have suffered near annihilation causing mothers, wives and children in the United State endless pain. It was my experience and inner understanding that change is the catalyst for overcoming failure that has helped to turn Iraq into the success story it is becoming. It is now imperative that America keep this experience at the helm of the ship of state. As I have promised, my experience and philosophy of change will allow us to bring the troops home.”
By my calculation, the total vote dropped 23%, but McCain’s vote dropped 39%. Is it a bad sign for Republicans and McCain alike? (For Republicans because your party had a more dynamic and interesting field this year, yet South Carolinians weren’t all that moved to turn out?)
Another way of looking at McCain’s performance: In 2000 he lost with 41%, while in 2008 he won with 33%. Overall, South Carolinians moved against him. I’d congratulate them on their wisdom… except they made a Huckster #2.
Sorry, my comment was intended for the new McCain thread. Don’t know how I put it here.
The next huge hurdle in Iraq occurs when the Shiite mhardi cease fire ends in early February. I hope the American command is planning on unleashing some “surge hell ” on their butts.
heliotrope is hilarious (not to mention a beautiful flower for container gardening)
but kudos to the WaPo