Iraq is a problem, a problem that will shape our future, the future of the mid-East, and the future of the entire world. The failure of the Iraqi people to secure their own freedom allows the proponents of a U.N.-style foreign policy to advance their agenda. Some suggest we go through the U.N., seeking the advice of others before acting in our own interest.
FDR once remarked that a cobra about to strike should be stricken first. We failed to adequately strike the cobra. Our handling of the situation in Iraq has significantly damaged our moral authority to act preemptively in the future. We must concede this Administration’s failures. A failure to describe the mission. A failure to communicate the importance of the mission. A failure to execute the mission. The Iraq plan was nothing like the Marshall Plan that it was purported to be. Troop surge or no troop surge, the implications to our foreign policy and our national security will be long lasting. As a political outsider with my most important allegiance to my family back in Maine’s 1st District, I will focus my attention on those details that will ensure their continued safety.
Congress should not be in the business of making military decisions. We must await the reports of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, due in September. To pass judgment now would be irresponsible. The only bipartisan plan put forward is that of the Iraq Study Group. That report suggested a troop surge, provided commanders on the ground recommended it. The commanders on the ground did recommend a troop surge. Now we must give it a chance.
We must consider the costs of a wholesale, immediate withdrawal. The subsequent loss of human lives upon our retreat would be enormous. Secondly, the markets react rapidly and negatively to instability. The increased turmoil that would surely occur in Iraq would cause an already critical oil price to rise.
Either outcome stands alone as sufficient reason to discontinue talk of an immediate retreat. I eagerly await the testimony of Patreaus and Crocker. As James Baker, co-Chair of the Iraq Study Group observes, “Whether or not Iraq was the focal point of the global terrorist network before we got into it, it sure is now, and we better be very careful how we get out.”
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