Today’s Los Angeles Times article reveals disturbing revelations about the Iraqi government’s likelihood of failing to succeed at meeting the current goals set for them by the Bush administration.
U.S. military leaders in Iraq are increasingly convinced that most of the broad political goals President Bush laid out early this year in his announcement of a troop buildup will not be met this summer and are seeking ways to redefine success.
In September, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, is scheduled to present Congress with an assessment of progress in Iraq. Military officers in Baghdad and outside advisors working with Petraeus doubt that the three major goals set by U.S. officials for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki will be achieved by then.
It’s time for politicians on both sides of the aisle to recognize that benchmarks set for the Iraqi government that lack a firm deadline for withdrawal of American funding and a timetable for the redeployment of American troops simply do not work.
What’s missing is the clarity that Senator Dodd has called for so that the Iraqi government has the impetus to act. Without a firm deadline, we’re just offering nothing more than another half-measure – at best.
Here’s Senator Chris Dodd’s statement on this depressing story:
“Today’s report that top advisors to General Petraeus do not believe that the Iraqi government will meet basic political goals set out by President Bush in conjunction with the troop surge is yet another indicator that goals and benchmarks set without real consequences will not have any effect. We need to be clear in our policy in Iraq, not only for the sake of our national security, but for the sake of the Iraqi government as well. Setting a firm and enforceable deadline for redeployment of troops is the path toward such clarity.”
Disclosure: I proudly work for Senator Chris Dodd’s presidential campaign.