The Escalation Didn't Work
The escalation failed to do the one and only thing it was supposed to do. The entire Iraq policy of George W. Bush has failed since the fall of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad. No amount of parsing or spinning can change those simple facts: the escalation is and was the wrong answer.
I chaired a hearing on the GAO Report yesterday, the report that stated that Iraqi civilians overall aren't any safer, that the political benchmarks aren't being met in Iraq, that, in short, none of the rationales for the escalation in Iraq have come to pass. It unfolds with maddening, enraging regularity: the Administration claims goals for their policy, they gradually back off of those goals and substitute smaller, less easily measured goals, and then muddy the waters hopelessly on whether even those modest new goals have been met. Time and again we've been through this.
That's why the Congress set up some clear benchmarks to measure what's happening in Iraq. Mitch McConnell praised the "clarity" those benchmarks brought to the debate. "Just wait until September," they all said. "We put in these meaningful benchmarks, we can judge in September."
Well, how do they judge those benchmarks now? Only three of 18 have been met. Another four were "partially met," which sounds like a "Gentleman's C" if I've ever heard of one (and, for anyone who saw my college transcript, I have).
Judgment time is here, and the only verdict is the same one we had in January, the same one we've had for a long time in Iraq: the Bush policy is a tragic failure. It's a policy that not only isn't working; it can't work. A political solution in Iraq cannot come about without a clear deadline on where our troops will be pulling out. Only Iraqis can end this civil war, and they aren't - and won't be - making any progress with an open-ended, massive presence by our military in their country.
The White House has tried, with some success, to focus everyone's attention in the media on the report they are writing, the report they used to call the Petraeus Report. But, at least judging from press reports, unfortunately, this report already seems to be controversial and solely focused on military measures. (No surprise - now, thanks in large measure to some good old fashioned muckraking out here in the blogosphere, we know that even the so-called Petraeus Report will be written not by the General, not by our Ambassador in Baghdad, but by the White House-- the White House which has again and again avoided the kind of plain, unadorned facts discussed in the GAO report.)
Look, I know from experience that there's no such thing as a military solution to a situation like this, and no amount of "metrics" can create one. Our own generals have always confirmed this about Iraq. And by the way -- go read all of the statements at the time about the "reason" for the escalation - it was to buy political breathing room for Iraqis to compromise. Period. It hasn't happened. So it all boils down to the same thing: these are more "steps" that don't get you any closer to your real goals, "successes" that don't lead to any resolution.
This White House ran out of credibility on Iraq a long long time ago. This is not the first time we've been told one thing only to learn another (Weapons of mass destruction? Greeted as liberators? Saddam's oil revenue to pay for the war and reconstruction?), so, predictably, instead of an honest appraisal of the escalation, this White House is again moving the goalposts and shifting criteria-- and they are doing it as the moment of accountability arrives. Their response to bad news has been and continues to be: simply change the story. What they can't change is the fact that time is not on our side. It's wrong to sacrifice over 100 American lives each month for a policy we know is not working.
So here's where we stand: Republicans asked for clarity in this debate and swore up and down that, this time, they were serious. When September came around, they'd look at the facts and make a sober assessment on the merits of the policy in Iraq. Well, those facts are in. We need to keep up the pressure on them.
I'll be working continuously this month trying to set a deadline to force a new policy in Iraq. I'll try to stop by as often as I can this month with ways you can, if you choose, put the pressure on the Roadblock Republicans to force them to take a new tack. In the end, it's been sustained action by millions of activists that have gotten us this far, and it's only through the loud voices of those activists that we can get what's right - an end to the Bush doctrine in Iraq, and a policy worthy of our soldiers' sacrifice.
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One of the greatest losses for our world in my lifetime is that John Kerry did not take the office of president to which he was elected.
Several months ago, I posted a comment that the Republicans were setting this up so that they could be seen as the ones also calling for a withdrawal. Man I am stupid. I imagined that they would live up to the escalation's announced goals. What I did not anticipate was the fact that the goals, as stated then, would be completely different than the goals that Bushco now says we are trying to achieve. Shame on me for believing the President and the Republicans. If the Democrats fall for this the way I did and vote again to fund this criminal act, then they deserve to be driven out.
Question for Mr Kerry:
The White House goes all out for keeping the US military/industrial complex disrupting Iraq. You correctly predict that it will continue.
Can you predict when the Democrats will drop the all talk-no action routine and go all out to stop the White House program?
What happens if Iraq doesn't meet the ''benchmarks?'' Are we ever going to get out of there? Evidence is not with the milirary bases and the biggest-em
A political solution may not come about, as you say, “without a clear deadline on where our troops will be pulling out.”
However, a political solution is also NOT about to magically or spontaneously develop as a result of the various factions in Iraq miraculously coming together to work out, amongst themselves, their political differences.
A political solution in Iraq will necessarily require strong US leadership in facilitating a process that brings together all warring Iraqi factions for intense negotiations to reach a political accommodation, and that brings together the regional and international powers in an effort to support and secure any political power-sharing arrangement that is achieved..
If this sounds at all familiar to you, then it is because it should! Your friend, Joe Biden - he’s still your friend, right?...I ask because not once did you mention the Chairman’s name during your GAO hearing nor did you refer to any element of his Iraq strategy - has outlined this very process to achieve a sustainable political settlement in Iraq. As you are well aware, the Biden strategy offers the only hope there is of ending this war responsibly, without leaving chaos behind or the need to return at a later date. Would it kill you to promote it?
You say that you will be “working continuously this month trying to set a deadline to force a new policy in Iraq.” I hope that promise means that you will be supporting the Biden strategy as the only possible new policy in Iraq with any reasonable prospect of facilitating the political solution that everyone agrees is missing in action. If not, then I look forward to hearing all of the details about the “new policy” in Iraq you intend to force.
THe Iraqi army was supposed to provide 5 troops for
every one of ours. Now Bush wants another 50,000
American soldiers to go into the quagmire but the Iraqis do not have 250,000 men to put forward. What happened to the 19 billion we spent on training them. We are palying catch-up with the insurgency for four years . No more money until a deployment is in palce and some of our men are coming home. We should let George Bush bury us in Iraq for an agenda that we are not privy to. HIs past proves that he always let others bail him out. Not this time.
Don't bring to the floor the request for an additional $50 billion--instead make Bush include it in the military appropriations bill. There should be no sup[plemental funding period, and it should be paid for with tax receipts.
The ripofficans,the dummycrats, whats the difference, A few lawyers controled by a few bankers, raping the masses.
So, my question, for Kerry and Congress in general, is this:
What has changed since the last time funding for the war was on the table?
What has changed since the time before that?
And the time before that?
By my take, the only things that have changed are: the number of dead people; the number of maimed people; the number of people with PTSD; the number of people who will never get their old lives back; the number of people who will come home and be ignored by the VA and Congress who will accuse them of being malingerers who just want the government to take care of them.
So, 'Mission Accomplished' Congress?
Or will you capitulate to the White House yet again?
Senator Kerry, excellent post!
WE accomplished our mission of "Iraqi" freedom the minute we pulled Saddam from the hole. (Of course we shouldn't have even had that misssion to begin with). This military action was a charade, to take our attention off the real goal Bin Laden et al- WHY??
Our troops are dying in the middle of a civil war with no clear players- WHY??
We are spending trillions defending a counrty that has it's own Oil revenues to pay for the reconstruction, military and political pull-WHY???
John as your younger Boomer sister, I ask How did my older "siblings" get us back into a situation similar to the one they so strongly opposed in the '60's-Please answer WHY?
When I looked up to 'you' and took your word that our world would be different under 'your' leadership and in fact it appears more out of control - WHY??
Our constitution is under attack: nfrastructure is crumbling:Our envirnoment is still being raped:Our poor are poorer:Our children will have less:Women still only make 0.77$ on the dollar wages:Gays are still barred from the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness:We are still hooked on oil countries- WHY????????
Frankly Sir we have made progress in the last 30+yrs but in the wrong direction.
Truth hurts to say & hear- but sir the Boomer have become the "establishment" to the rest of us babies.
We can't give the Iraqi's freedom because we haven't figured it our for ourselves after 200+ years.
I love my older brothers & sisters, but I must now fight against all of you for my sons & daughters. Perhaps I am truely more from the ME GENERATION- which I see as meaning: It is MY fault for not pointing out the "boomers' haveno clothes and my responisblitiy to fix.
Now it's amatter of HOW
You screwed around and let this gang steal the election
and your good name. Now the congress is unwilling to
stand up to this gang and stop the stealing, killing,
lying and destruction of our country. The only solution
is not words, but impeachment. Do your job. You went
to war, we stopped the war. If you can't stop the killing,
we can. We are american citizens, and this is our
country. One more death is too many.
Neither this nor any other escalation will work. Any reasonable person knows it. The neocons knew it a priori. This is all planned folks! Theatrics and rhetoric aside the current quagmire was programmed and planned for from day one. We are NOT getting out of Iraq regardless who gets in in '08, in '12 in 16 or any other time in the next half century. We are there to stay and stay and stay.
Thank you for posting Senator Kerry . . .the troops have to be withdrawn immediately . . . the Iraqis don't want our troops there . . .the troops are fueling the civil war . . .they have always been part of the problem . . .we all know why this administration went invaded Iraq and why they want to prolong their murderous course . . . they want the Iraqi oil contracts . . . I urge you to stop the funding for this illegal invasion and pull out the troops now . . .
I also urge Congress to impeach cheney and the chimp asap . . . there is enough evidence to impeach them . . . it is time Congress acted.
you're absolutely right.
the spin and the killing continue.
we have got to do something drastic.
like take back the authority to let bush wage war. stop funding the madness. it's only getting worse every day. and none of it ever had to happen.
GORE/KERRY 2008
payback is a bitch sometimes
YOU'VE BOTH ALREADY WON AGAINST BUSH ONCE!!
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