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John McCain talks about victory in Iraq. He has not given a coherent description of "victory in Iraq" - but claims victory is a moral necessity, as well as imperative to our security. Barack Obama's 16-month timetable is now being "refined." This is a politically calculated move to the center or a continuation of Obama's promise that the US "must be as careful getting out of Iraq as it was reckless going in."
Either way, it's a vague policy at best.
And now Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie says that the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) -- the future security arrangement being hammered out between the Iraqi government and the U.S. -- must contain a time table for U.S. withdrawal. This "demand" has been characterized as without any real teeth and is motivated by upcoming Iraqi elections.
President Al Maliki's government can posture tough against the U.S. occupation and pander to anti-U.S. Shia groups and leaders like Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army. Yet the Iraqi government has yet to make any real strides to build up its own security forces or forge a strong political leadership.
Politicians from both countries talk ceaselessly about how everything is dependent on conditions on the ground and about consulting generals before making any concrete plans. Meanwhile, the Taliban tide is rising in Afghanistan and we are undermanned.
The only thing not in doubt is the fact that Iraq is a mess and the only "plan" is a game of wait, see and hope. The U.S. military has been victimized by a pumpkin headed commander-in-chief. Only a new commander-in-chief will be able to give new directives and consult his generals on a new directive. The commander-in-chief cannot be a politician - and right now McCain and Obama cannot be anything but politicians. I expect no straight talk on this issue from any side until November.
Unless it's from a politician with nothing to lose - enter Ron Paul.
- Citizen Voices blogger Chris McConnell is a bookseller, freelance writer, former high school English teacher and odd jobber who lives in La Jolla.
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As one whose job requires me to travel to countries to work under a SOFA, I can tell you that some of these “time tables” aren’t worth the Gantt charts they’re calculated on. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t there a “time table” under a SOFA with Germany for our forces to pull out there? How’s that been working out?
In my lifetime, the only time table for withdrawal that actually went effectively was in the Philippines, and certainly Mount Pinatubo helped that one along. The only other one I can remember was South Vietnam, and that one didn’t go so well.
Matthew C. ScallonJuly 10, 2008 at 11:46 am
Regarding John McCain reference to victory in Iraq, it is not vague. Victory is a self sustaining, secure, and a liberal democratic government. Any notion of an arbitrary time table would add further confusion to an already complex problem. Obama is slowly realizing this as he “refines” his Iraq policy to something more credible. As for the SOFA, it too is a complex agreement that typically takes years to negotiate. Regardless of whether “time table” is typically included in a SOFA, the negotiating parties should be wary of including one in the Iraq SOFA for regional security reasons. Instead, a conditions based withdraw of forces would be in Iraq’s better interests. A conditions based withdraw of forces makes calculations by malicious outside meddlers more difficult and provides assurances to the Iraq people that the United States will not abandon them easily.
Ray Liddy from San DiegoJuly 15, 2008 at 3:46 pm