Congressman George Miller wrote an op-ed that appeared in today’s Contra Costa Times detailing his suggested strategy for withdrawing our troops from Iraq. It’s worth noting that while Miller voted in favor of military action in Afghanistan, he opposed the invasion of Iraq, claiming that “there was no evidence to support President Bush’s claim that Saddam Hussein posed a threat to our country.”
Miller goes on to say “Americans and Iraqis alike desperately need a strategy that will resolve the conflict, bring our troops home safely and quickly, and enable the United States to concentrate on real security threats. We cannot afford to simply ‘stay the course’ of failure.” He quotes Gen. George Casey, who has said that the presence of American troops in Iraq “fuels the insurgency” and “extends the amount of time that it will take for Iraqi security forces to become self-reliant.”
Here’s Miller’s exit plan:
The United States should take the following steps.
- Immediately renounce any permanent designs on Iraq’s territory or resources, and plans for long-term bases there.
- Stop financing Iraqi political parties and candidates.
- Over the next 12 months, shift active duty forces in Iraq away from combat and counterinsurgency operations and toward a training and stability force.
- Shift several thousand U.S. combat troops from Iraq to Kuwait in the form of a rapid reaction force to help ensure regional stability, deter Iraq’s neighbors from meddling in its affairs and to protect against any coups to destabilize Iraq’s new government.
- The remaining active duty forces should be redeployed out of Iraq to bolster the fight against terrorism elsewhere or be returned home. Iraqi security forces must stand up on their own but will only do so when American forces withdraw.
- Return to the United States the approximately 46,000 Guard and Reserve forces in Iraq immediately following the December elections.
- Increase aid for democracy assistance that allows independent political growth.
- Shift development aid in Iraq away from large projects undertaken by foreign contractors, like Halliburton, and toward microdevelopment locally oriented projects run by Iraqis.
- President Bush must diplomatically engage all of Iraq’s neighbors immediately, including, and most especially, Iran. Without their help on issues like border security there will be no stable future for Iraq.
Of course, there’s no chance in hell that the current administration would ever follow this blueprint, but it sure seems like Miller makes some good points.
