Reply #42: Iraq a success refers to political means [View All]

[TayTay]

Sen Kerry has repeatedly stated that there is no military solution to Iraq's problems. He has stated Gen. Casey's testimony to a Congressional panel so often that I can quote it from memory now, "Our own generals have told us that there is no military solution to Iraq, only political." It is a central tenet, in fact, the central tenet of Kerry's oppostion: the military has done it's duty, they can't do anything to affect a civil war. This point underpins his entire plan for withdrawal.

The plan for success is a political option only. Period. That is why the troops must come home. Success is a political thing. It is a distortion to call it anything else. As Kerry said, our troops have done their duty. They can't stem or stop a civil war. This is the crucial idea behind every other thing he has said on Iraq. If someone believed that the military still was a viable option and could positively affect the outcome, then they would not be in favor of getting US troops out. Success is a political options for the Iraqis to implement. The US would still keep a small number of personnel in Iraq as guides to train the Iraqis recruits, and the US could keep troops in Kuwait or some other over-the-horizon location, in much diminished numbers, but not in Iraq and certainly not in anything like the numbers we have now. (at least 90% less, if not 98% less.)

I agree with Kerry on the special forces personnel and the need to keep them. That is a more intelligent way to fight actual terrorists who want to do harm to mass civilian populations. We are not fighting standing armies, we can't pretend we are. We need to innovate. (Much longer subject about the role of the military in the future put off for now in the interests of brevity.)

Kerry's role is to get other Senators and national leaders to start to call for withdrawal, and sooner rather than later. This is what he is doing. I just watched Meet the Press where they had surrogates for the Lamont and Lieberman campaign on to talk about the CT race. The options put forth were: do you back Kerry's plan to get out or not. It is very clearly understood that Senator Kerry wants the troops out. I think the deadline will contract and not expand as more people come to realize that the US must leave that country.

Cindy Sheehan was recently asked on Hardball if she had any support in the US Senate for her position that we need to get US troops out of Iraq. She stated that she was working with Kerry's office on this. She did not cite any other Senators.

Personally, in my own opinion, I think that the Senate testimony last week is indicative of a turning point in this debate. The words 'civil war' were uttered by Bush's own hand-picked generals who have on-the-ground experience in Iraq. It is, finally, starting to dawn on people that Iraq is not going to get better and that US troops cannot do anything in Iraq that will result in positive action to stabilize that country. US troops will simply occupy a land that is in the process of a sectarian split. Republicans are starting to see this and I think the movement is irresversibly toward getting the US troops out. Unfortunately, the obstacles in the way are still the Bush Administration itself, which still refuses to give up on their mistake in Iraq. I think that the greater political forces in the US will force them to do so more and more as this year goes on. The midterms themselves this year will go a long way to erasing any Congressional support for this war.

Sen. John Warner of Virginia said this week that he thinks, in light of the civil war in Iraq, the Congress may want to revisit the resolution that allowed Bush to take action in the first place and have a new vote on what Bush's powers are in that conflict. A Republican said that. The Rethugs in that Party won't listen to that voice, but saner people will. That was one of the most significant events of the last week. (and one hinted at in Kerry and Warner's debate on the floor about withdrawal back in June.)

Sen. Kerry must continue to talk about the civil war. He must continue to talk about the fact that the US can't do anything in a civil war except be targets of all sides. The US must get out of Iraq, Kerry has made that clear. I think all deadlines and time tables and so forth are 'by the boards' at this point. This situation can only be resolved by the Iraqis. The US, as Kerry has stated, must leave and sooner rather than later. I think that is what more and more people in the Senate will come to understand. The Dem caucus did just release a letter calling for withdrawal that was already stronger than the Levin/Reid proposal in June. I think that call will intensify.