Charles Babington and Dan Balz of the Washington Post write up the current poop on the Democrats’ strategy on Iraq:

“There is rising concern that everything seems to be going the wrong way,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in an interview. “Support is dropping drastically.” Bush, she said, “has got to give regular progress reports” to Congress and the public on topics such as the training of Iraqi troops and police to take over their nation’s security. “It has to be the president,” she said. “It’s his war.”

Despite the notable surge in such comments, only the most left-leaning Democrats have called for specific changes to Bush’s policies, such as setting a schedule for withdrawing U.S. troops. Most Democrats are sticking to familiar themes, such as urging allies to help pacify Iraq and to train Iraqi troops and police.

“It is a challenge now to try to fix the mess that has been made by this administration,” Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said in an interview. “There aren’t any easy answers. It would be irresponsible to just spout off without having thought through what all the alternatives — and implications of those alternatives — might be.”

:::flip:::

The most frustrating thing about the administration’s constant lying is that it is so hard to judge who the real perpetrators of violence in Iraq are. Some insist that the violence is being carried out by Iraqi patriots who only want to liberate their country from American occupation. Others insist that the the violence is originating with alienated Sunnis, and people opposed to the emergence of a Shi’a dominated government. Still others insist that the violence is coming predominantly from Saudi Arabian and Syrian recruits, who have no political aims in Iraq beyond killing infidels.

It is vitally important that we understand the nature of the ‘insurgency’ because we need to have a handle on what is likely to happen as we draw down our troop levels. Without an accurate picture of the situation, we will just be ‘spouting off’, to quote Obama.

If the violence is mainly of a foreign jihadist nature, then it is likely to die down as we begin to leave. But if it is largely an Iraqi Sunni resistance, then it is likely to gain strength and cause a civil war.

We hear all types of analysis, but none of the analysis coming from the administration is helpful, or connected to reality. And this is hamstringing the Democrats ability to devise an unified approach to the problem.

Moreover, as Biden points out below, their lack of credibility is undermining support for the war effort. And our support is a prerequisite for success. Given what we have learned from the Downing Street Leaks, it is almost impossible to support the decision to go to war. But, at the same time, it would be useful to have some good intelligence about what the possible repercussions are of a pull-out, as well as a prolonged stay.

“The disconnect between the administration’s rhetoric and the reality on the ground has opened up not just a credibility gap but a credibility chasm,” which is “fueling cynicism that is undermining the single most important weapon we need to give our troops to be able to do their jobs, and that is the unyielding support of the American people.”

Bush got us into this mess. And despite our resentment of this, we would like to help find a way out that doesn’t further damage our national security, or further damage Iraq’s society. It’s just very difficult to help when we are constantly spoon-fed pollyannish horseshit, and when Congress is engaged in an all out assault on Democratic values.

0 0 votes
Article Rating