Iraqi Politicos Aren’t Holding Up Their End Of The Deal
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Iraq, Military, Money, The War On Terrorism, War
The surge was designed to give Iraqi politicians the breathing room to create meaningful change in their country. That was, is and always will be the end goal of this particular mission.
Well, we gave them their opportunity. They’re giving us virtually nothing.
And this isn’t just coming from me. It’s coming from General Petraeus…
Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday.Petraeus, who is preparing to testify to Congress next month on the Iraq war, said in an interview that “no one” in the U.S. and Iraqi governments “feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation,” or in the provision of basic public services.
The general’s comments appeared to be his sternest to date on Iraqis’ failure to achieve political reconciliation. In February, following the passage of laws on the budget, provincial elections and an amnesty for certain detainees, Petraeus was more encouraging. “The passage of the three laws today showed that the Iraqi leaders are now taking advantage of the opportunity that coalition and Iraqi troopers fought so hard to provide,” he said at the time.
Folks, we are now spending $12 billion a month in Iraq. And with no discernible signs that our time, effort and investment have made us any safer, what’s the game plan from here on out? Pour more money and lives into this foreign policy disaster? Stay for decades? Wait around until the Iraqis get their act together?
No thank you.
If the Iraqis can’t or won’t hold up their end of the deal, if they continue to sit idly by while our men and women are killed or physically and mentally maimed, then there’s no point in sacrificing any longer.
Some will call this defeatism. I call it realism.
So let’s give them the money and weapons to secure their own country and go. The sooner the better.
This entry was posted on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 and is filed under Iraq, Military, Money, The War On Terrorism, War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 15th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Prolonging a civil war at the cost of $144 billion a year. What have we as a nation gotten for all this blood, time, money, and trouble? How come no one is responsible? Why is it that when ever someone tries to inject alittle reality into the discussion they are minimized, resigned, or otherwise silenced? How come a majority of our people in Congress can’t or won’t do anything about the crimes? How come a minority party of bullies, braggarts, and fools can still force the issues?
The economy is in meltdown and clearly in a recession and heading toward a depression because of this “jolly” and there isn’t one positive thing to show for it. As a nation we have compromised our moral authority, our dignity, our future, and our national pre-eminence because Don Quixote wanted to joust.
March 17th, 2008 at 6:40 am
If the Iraqis can’t or won’t hold up their end of the deal…
Is there any evidence that anyone other than US leaders thought that there was a deal? Because I don’t really recall any grand statements from Iraqi politicians that they ever had any intention working things out on their end.
Wishful thinking by one party does not constitute a “deal.” There’s plenty you can blame Iraqi politicians for, but I don’t think it’s quite fair to use political judo to make a US withdrawal into Iraqi politicians’ fault.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
[...] Here are some sobering facts for Iraq right now. 25 soldiers died in the last two weeks. There’s news that the Iraqis we’ve hired to fight al Qaeda haven’t been paid yet and are dangerously close to quitting. Violence across the country claimed the lives of 58 citizens over the weekend. But the worst news? The breathing room our troops gave the Iraqi government via the surge strategy is being wasted. [...]