January 21, 2007
I'm changing my mind about Iraq
So, I've decided that my previous statement on Iraq, while morally is the correct thing to do, I do not believe the Bush Administration has the political skills to solve this situation.
Simply put the Bush Administration is strongest when they're using the tool of fear. In fact, a nice subtitle for the Bush Administration would be "The Rein of Fear". The administration's positions this week, as detailed in The New York Times make clear that the only political tool the administration seems willing to use is fear. In the article the current administration simply said to the Iraqi government, get your shit together or we'll be forced (by congress) to leave. This is akin to me walking into your house, setting it on fire, then handing you a fire hose without enough pressure and saying put the fire out or we'll leave.
This is morally repugnant.
However even more morally repugnant is sending Young American men and women who have even less ability than the Iraqi people to politically correct the situation in Iraq.
Even further more morally repugnant is playing political games with our troops by sending more of them therefore attempting to end any debate on the future of Iraq by tying Congress's hands.
I don't agree. To "threaten" the Iraqi administration into doing what they've needed to be doing all along not not akin to giving them a fire hose with low pressure and telling them to put it out. The Iraqi government has been relying far too heavily on the US militia to stop the violence. Yes, we may have started the fire, and we have been trying to put it out and build a better building than the one we've managed to burn down. However, we need the help from the Iraqi's to put their house back in order. They tell us that is what they want - but we need for them to get the tools so that when we do leave, they can maintain it, and improve upon it themselves. Kinda like Extrememe Makover Home Edition ;). So far, they've not put much effort into this. They've let the problems fester and are making us do all the work. What would you do in that situation? I'd threaten to walk out, too! Watch 'em scramble if we made good on our threat!
Perhaps I've not made myself clear.
Given the logistics and US domestic politics, we've given the Iraqi's as much militarily as we have the ability to give.
Politically we've done the equivalent of masturbation. Our silent, private political efforts has probably made Condi Rice and everyone else involved in them feel good, but its not done anything towards delivering us and the Iraqis from the situation. Hell, we haven't even found a vagina yet, let alone gotten anywhere near fertilization and birth.
Where is the equivalent of the Dayton Peace Accords? Drag the Suni, Shiite, and Kurdish leaders to the negotiating table, lock them in the room if you have to. At the same time pull Iran, Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, and the international community (perhaps represented by the UN or France) into negotiations to come to an agreement to protect the borders of Iraq and support the country.
Iraq is a political problem, not a military problem.
I shutter when I think of the number of lives that could have been saved by addressing the political issues in a timely manner.