Iraq. Again and forever, Iraq.
That is the sense I get from this war. We talk about the war as if it will outlive us.
Over the course of the last four years, every topic that dealt with the war has been touched upon, slammed, treated, evaluated and remarked upon. Despite our best efforts to discover solutions, we've arrived at another stalemate, this time on funding.
While we've been through many standoffs and periods of stagnation, this one is the most important. It is because this must be the last.
We cannot win the Iraq war. That is because we no longer have any conception of what winning would mean. The war began as a campaign to end Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime, and it has become an amalgamation of Shiite militia, Sunni extremists, corrupt cops and al-Qaida influence. Even if we could end the terrorism and suicide bombings in Iraq, there seems to be no indication of who controls the country and how a working government is constructed.
It's time to give America a way out. Both the House and Senate have passed bills that would approve $124 billion in funding for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that would finally lead our military out of Iraq. President Bush will most likely veto the bill, leading to another round of discussion and debate on deadlines and timetables.
However, we need to jump this last hurdle. Patience is quickly running out, and America needs to make a decision. So let's make a few suggestions.
First off, no matter what, we need a deadline. The president has threatened to veto the funding bill because it asks for redeployment of troops in about four months and a total withdrawal by March 31, 2008. Certainly, give the troops enough time to do their job, but realize that once signs of success or failure present themselves, there really is only one way to go: out.
If this troop surge works and security is restored in Baghdad, the al-Anbar Province, or both, then we're on our way to handing over control to the Iraqis and leaving the country. It may take longer, but if the signs of progress exist, withdrawal would make no sense. If this plan fails and you have more of the same violence and chaos, then we still have to leave. As heartbreaking and devastating as failure in Iraq could be, that devastation will extend to this nation if we allow a fatigued, overworked and underappreciated military to remain.
To compromise, Congress needs to move the timetable date back. Redeployment four months from now will only exacerbate problems or crush progress, whatever that may look like. Congress should give troops until the end of the year to show progress and make the final redeployment somewhere around June or August of next year. Cutting off funding now and trying to force an abrupt end to the war could be cataclysmic, not only in terms of Iraq, but in terms of our own political system. Better to hold the president to a deadline that is realistic.
Secondly, the political wrangling needs to be put on hold. Bush may veto the bill because of timelines, but he refuses to waver because he feels his authority being challenged. Certainly the Gonzales affair needs to be investigated, and some would argue Pelosi's trip to Syria is a necessity to rebuilding Iraq with those in the region. However, the reasoning behind it smacks of so much partisan vendetta that any chance of compromise between the Democrat-controlled Congress and President Bush is being stomped in the ground. Both sides need to tone down their aggressive posturing if they have any hope of coming to an agreement about the direction of this war.
Finally, action needs to happen fast. Although President Bush's claim that the military will be left hanging without immediate approval of funding is not quite true, the tug over funding does show a lack of care for the troops. With so much talk of supporting the troops, action to adequately fund them is lacking. Mr. Bush says if funding for the troops doesn't go through, the blood will be on Congress' hands. However, if his grandstanding allows him to leave troops in the field without that funding, he will be to blame. After all, the buck stops with him.
Despite the fact that we are closer than ever to extracting ourselves from this war, it never gets easier to talk about. Writing about this topic almost induces a gut-wrenching sickness; I could not even delve into the plight Iraqis face in the attacks on their country. However, a solution for them cannot continue to include us. This country cannot step forward in any focused or rational way with foreign policy, immigration reform, economic concerns or any decisive movement in the political arena until the fog of war is lifted. That means establishing an end point, a way out. We can minimize the damage, but we have to finally act. Debate already happened; the American people decided they want out. It's time to honor the voice of the people.
Jason Smathers ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in history and journalism.
