It's Not Hillary, It's the Policy Stupid!

by Tom Andrews and Lt. Gen. Robert G. Gard Jr. (USA, Ret.)

The media obsession over who's in and who's out of consideration for the Obama Cabinet brings the admonition on the famous "War Room" wall of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign to mind: "It's the Economy Stupid!" Those of us eagerly awaiting relief from the debacle called the Bush administration should avoid getting swept up the in DC parlor game of who is getting what position in the new administration and focus instead on the fundamental changes we need the Obama administration to start making. In short, "It's the Policy Stupid!"

President Obama will begin his presidency with enormous good will from the American people and great hope from the world at large. It is imperative that he seize this opportunity by quickly moving his campaign pledges into bold and decisive action despite the opposition that surely awaits him.

Step one: End the US military occupation of Iraq. Immediately begin withdrawing US combat forces within sixteen months, clearly delineating the number and role of any remaining troops to limited non-combat roles such as providing security to the US embassy and training Iraqi security forces. Even before taking office, President-elect Obama's message of change has made a security pact with Iraq much more likely by assuring Iraqis that the United States will respect their sovereignty and pull our forces out. It has weakened Iranian opposition by increasing their confidence that the US will not be occupying permanent military bases on their neighbor's soil as a staging ground for attack

Step two: Change course in Afghanistan. Responding to the Bush administration's failure in Afghanistan by initiating an escalation of US combat troops could be the next step into a quagmire that would be a catastrophe for the United States, Obama's presidency, and the region. Changing course should include support for the Afghan government's outreach to insurgent forces, including elements of the Taliban willing to negotiate an end to armed conflict; a robust diplomatic effort that reaches out to key regional nations, including Iran and Pakistan; and a serious and sustained commitment of humanitarian aid and development assistance that can bring relief and hope to the beleaguered people of Afghanistan. Continued military commitment should be limited and predicated on a clear exit strategy that is linked to this comprehensive approach.

Step three: Engage Iran. President Obama should declare that seeking regime change in Iran is no longer the policy of the U.S. and initiate diplomatic contacts with the Iranian government immediately without preconditions.

Step four: Make a just and lasting peace in the Middle East a top priority by seriously arbitrating a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and capitalizing on the common interests of states in the region to prevent an implosion of Iraq and to establish stability.

Step five: Replenish the strength of our weakened military by cutting the number of troops that are put into harms way and striking unnecessary and obsolete military weapons from the defense budget. President Obama should reject calls for an increase in military spending and combat forces. Troop levels should be set not by reacting to the demands of militarizing our foreign policy under George W. Bush, but by the requirements of a new national security strategy. Additional levels of combat troops will be necessary only if the United States intends to launch yet more counter-insurgency campaigns by invasions and military occupations. The alternative is a national security policy that buries the "Bush Doctrine," respects international law, and restores America's place in the world as a source of inspiration and hope, not outrage and fear.

None of these steps will be easy. Hawks will echo Senator McCain's attacks during the presidential campaign that President Obama will be snatching defeat from the jaws of victory by changing course in Iraq. They will clamor for more troops in Afghanistan without any semblance of an exit strategy while rejecting meaningful diplomatic engagement with key regional players like Iran. And, they will relentlessly pressure Members of Congress from both parties to continue the gravy train of wasteful defense spending on obsolete and unnecessary weapons and equipment. President Obama and Members of Congress need to demand that, from now on, defense spending will be based on the national security interests of our nation and no longer on the political self-interest of politicians and the insatiable appetite of defense contractors.

Undoing the incalculable damage done by the Bush administration will require a fundamental reassessment of how to achieve genuine national security and setting a profoundly different course for national defense and foreign policy. The election of Barack Obama opens an extraordinary opportunity for our nation and the world. The stakes are too high to squander it.

Tom Andrews, a former Member of Congress from the first Congressional District of Maine, is the National Director of Win Without War. Lt. General Robert G. Gard, Jr.,Chairman of the Steering Committee of Vets for Obama, is a 31-year veteran of the U.S. Army and a former President of the National Defense University.

Comments

[kentp]

a reasonable and pragmatic guide to a foreign policy that will redeem our country in the eyes of the world, and I can only hope that it falls on fertile soil.

[DeWayne]

folleoa... Re-Iran compliance with United Nation IAEA protocals, rules and resolutions.

The chief of IAEA in 2008 has effectively called the Bush-Admin "liars" as far as non-compliance charges. I believe in 2007 they called these charges as "Bush-Admin "Hype." No other IAEA-member nation has fulfilled more IAEA resolutions and demends that Iran, some other members have serious compliance problems. Do a websearch on keywords "US-Gov bribe Security Council member/s into non-compliance charge against Iran."

The CIA (in 2003) reports Iran stopped Nuclear Weapon research, the IAEA (after hundreds of hours of investigations) say Iran Uranium-enrichment is 3-5% grade suitable for Power Plants only. Also all uranium is accounted for, considerable supply is needed for 90%-grade enriched Uranium that Pakistan and Israel use to make Atomic Bombs.

[DeWayne]

It can be proven w/o doubt that since WWI every enemy American youth have been called upon to fight and kill, were part of regimes that the US-Gov (or elite Empire) had a hand in supporting, often financing and helping become armed (WMD comes to mind), in the case of Iraq having to remove (1982) US "Terrorist Supporting Nation" embargo-listing against Iraq in order to legally sell WMD/BioChem supplies.

Today the American voter does not elect individuals to Office, we elect individuals previously cleared by a power structure and upper-hierarchy, and unless these individuals bow to (Perk/PAC/Pork/Payola) they will never get a gov-position more important than hall-monitor.

Another way of saying Obama is no different than McCain, and America "wasted their vote" on people such as Obama that will never bring America back to a Constitutional-Gov of Law and Justice, and instead will simply be more of the SOS.

[DeWayne]

I am expect the same from the Obama Administration, Obama gas sold out one ethical stand after another. The plight of Palestinians vanished, joining the Bush-cabal with slander and lies against (dangerous) Iran appeared. Not many realize the only charge made against Iran, except frivolous and unproven claims, have all been dropped or forgotten (meaning proven false).

The new Obama Administration reminds me of the rebuilding of Iraq using an Int'l-thief Chalabi, also some of the same Saddam-regime personel, trained no doubt from 1992 in the converted Russian base near Kapsovar, Hungry. This is the military-base US (Cheney) took over to train 'Free Iraqi' (paramilitary) to start a false-flag sunni/shia religious war.

The Obama-Admin will be full of PNAC mindset-people that will no doubt keep Gen. Betrayus that finally (late 2008) dropped the false charges of Iran Weapons he had as evidence found in Iraq. Apparently the Farsi serial numbers freshly painted on this very small catch of new weapons said part of this evidence, apparently washed off revealing made in China (design & Mfg) sales that has been going on for some time now.

A Constitutional-Gov of Law and justice requires full and open investigation now. The United Nations (5-Pemanent Member) need lose their Nay (veto) powers they alone have and use to control, also threats and bribery such as making the 15-5=10 member Security Council members lie and say Iran is in non-compliance need end.

[dj4leftcoast]

Well thought out! I believe after the inauguration, we will see a very different international climate............rouge nations and terrorist groups will encounter more internal and international resistance trying to challenge or subvert an American government led by a popular, NON aggresive leader with huge international support, and a populace demanding results vis-a-vis peace in the Middle East and Asia, progress fighting global warming, and a global economy that encourages stability and employment , not mergers, acquisitions, monopolies......then bailouts.

[Tiredofretoric]

Get us out of the situation in Iraq and don't embroil us in Afghanistan or elsewhere. Provide the electronic and hardware aid they need with a pricetag. Use precision guided weapons. Our people don't have to be there.

Focus on our nation. Our education system is antiquated and, given the challenges emerging worldwide (re: globalization), our children will need the best educations to keep our country on top.

All the focus overseas with no homebound oversite has led to the mess in our financial, legal and insurance systems. The issues have outstripped the capabilities and expertise of most of our politicians, never mind Joe the Plumber. It would seem that too many of our politicians are enjoying the caprice of the stock markets and that our politicians are reluctant to bite the hands that feed them - witness the democrats lying down on the war issue two years ago and their utter failure to address the rape of our people by the oil industry. This places the 90% of the population who do not have the resources/incomes to be serious, knowledgeable players in the markets or on the political soapboxes in a defenseless position.

Pull our boys and girls home, Barack, and let's fix the U.S. before we go out to "save" someone else like we did in Viet Nam.

[chrisrushlau]

Tom Andrews's group, Win Without War, suggested to its membership via an emailing that they respond here.
I agree with his policy prescriptions, including Afghanistan and Iran, where he finds the most resistance among the commenters here. Supplying weapons to fight proxy wars hasn't worked any better than sending our "boys and girls" to fight. I resent the latter, partly because a lot of those sent are National Guard, and are old and grizzled enough to look inside rhetoric to see what's intended.
But I disagree with his implicit premise, contained in the title of his organization. Win what? What about getting along with respect? I don't think he's going to make headway--look at the comments here so far--until he raises the big issues. Do we think that some of us are entitled to tell others how to live, without having to present any evidence or even clear claims of what we have in mind for them?
Is liberty something that only some of us deserve? Do you have to earn it? How do you do that? Who calls the competition? Nope, you start out with respecting everybody--that's the only way it ever works. If someone disappoints you, you negotiate and take steps. You don't start out demanding anything.

[lizziekw]

They were instructed to respond here? How... um... weird. Do they not even have their own website or are they just professional pot-stirrers?

I agree with some of what Andrews advocates but these things take time and may not be accomplished speedily and/or completely. We will start the laborious process of undoing the damage of the Bush years and making our way back to some semblance of sanity in the world. In the meantime, I take a dim view of this "Attack Obama Now" nonsense.

[cjk002]

I'm all for getting out of Iraq, it had nothing to do with 9/11. But isn't Afghanistan/Pakistan the place where Al-Qaeda is based? What happens in Afghanistan when we leave?

We abandoned Afghanistan in the 80's after we helped the Mujahadeen defeat the Soviets. The US government was eager to give them weapons, but refused to provide aid for schools and agriculture dvelopment that would have pulled the average Afghan out of poverty, and that's what led to the Taliban taiking over. Don't you think we'd be repeating one of the same mistakes (along with putting soldiers into Saudi Arabia) that led to 9/11 in the first place?

[anopenmind]

I love it! "It's the Policy Stupid", finally someone nailed it!! Everyone needs to get over this petty stuff!
Obama's in charge!!

[mheister]

President Obama has also promised to go after Al Qaida and Osama Bin-Laden. Given the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the doves' call a decrease in US military presence there may well not be heeded.

[follyeoa]

Will Iran be required to meet IAEA inspection requirements on their nuclear program?

[LeftRight]

Will the USA?

[cjk002]

The USA isn't threatening to use it's nuclear weapons offensively against other countries for the purpose of exterminating them.

As much as I disagree with our foreign policy, there is no moral equvilance between Iran's nuclear ambitions and ours.

[jhamm1]

You're absolutely right. Which is precisely why appointing HIllary to the forefront of conducting our foreign policy initiatives seems counter-intuitive to the ends which you have just described.

"President Obama should declare that seeking regime change in Iran is no longer the policy of the U.S. and initiate diplomatic contacts with the Iranian government immediately without preconditions."

Indeed. But, needless to say, that's already become a mute point in light of Obama's pending appointment of an individual who has already threatened to lay the entire country waste.

[LeftRight]

But you fail to understand. With a leader like Obama at the helm of the country, the POLICIES will be his, or the person charged with making those policies happen will be removed! Hillary's not stupid, she will do what she knows needs to be done!

[follyeoa]

Besides her comments were made in the event of a nuclear attack on Isreal, which is moot - Even if they could pull such ann attack the Iranians are not that stupid.

[StillIRise]

You still don't get it. Obama sets the policy ... NOT HILLARY! Whatever her positions are/were, whatever threats she may or may not have made, whatever she did or didn't say during the primary, she is NOT the once in charge of shaping the foreign policy agenda that she will be obligated to promote on behalf of the President, who in this case happens to be President-Elect Obama.