Bill Scher is the author of the new book, Wait! Don't Move To Canada!: A Stay-and-Fight Strategy To Win Back America.
Prediction: The Iraq Study Group report, which will be formally released Wednesday Dec. 6, will be largely forgotten by Monday Dec. 11.
Because if today's New York Times report previewing the main recommendations is truly indicative, this report will be incredibly lame.
It appears to be drowning in split-the-difference silliness.
It recommends a "gradual pullback", but with no clear timetables.
And more importantly, "gradual pullback" is not necessarily "withdrawal." The NYT reports that the ISG "leaves unstated" if troops would be "brought home, or simply pulled back to bases in Iraq or in neighboring countries." (Emphasis added.)
The NYT also reports that the diplomatic recommendations are more specific than the military ones, but that only confirms what Carter Administration National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski warned on Sunday:
The [Iraq Study Group] will probably come out with some sound advice on dealing with the neighborhood, with Iran, with the Israeli-Palestinian issues, which is relevant, but essentially will offer some procrastination ideas for dealing with the crisis.
What should be put to rest after this sorry spectacle is the notion that the only way to solve the Iraq crisis is through a glorious centrist bipartisan solution.
Here's your bipartisan solution: mush. Utterly worthless committee product mush.
The only way to solve the Iraq crisis is:
1) Have us Democrats, over the next two years, articulate our own distinct foreign policy strategy and objectives for the region.
2) Contrast it with the Republicans' failed strategy and reckless objectives.
3) Give the public a clear choice for the 2008 election.
4) Win the argument.
5) Implement our vision from the Oval Office.
Nothing positive is going to come out of this White House before then. Sad but true.
There is nothing noble about trying in vain to find nonexistent common ground with them. It will only make Dems complicit in the current debacle, and harder for us to offer the public a clear shift in strategy.
Glorifying bipartisanship isn't the serious way to get to good policy, especially when you don't have good-faith partners across the aisle.
The serious thing to do is put a serious vision before the public and build support for it.
Washington Dems, now that you're done punting to the Iraq Study Group, get going.