I’ve already covered the details of the plan in an earlier post. I have my doubts about the plan. So much of it seems to depend on an immediate change of direction by the Iraqi government. However, if the Iraqis are willing to step it up and establish their government’s authority and rule of law and if we have the political will to kick off some extremely messy but decisive battles then there will be reason for hope.
There are still many unknowns. Just how robust are the enhanced rules of engagement? Are we willing to effectively deal with Iran and Syria? Can the Iraqi government move to impartially knock down internal groups that refuse to cooperate? And are Americans prepared for the short-term difficulties that will result from effective implementation of the plan? We’ll know soon enough but we can’t afford not to try.
The bottom line is that failure in Iraq means a failed state – an oil rich terror-producing failed state. It means a further emboldened Iran and Syria. It means destabilization of a region that you only think is destabilized now. It can get so much worse. Ultimately, the price of failure will be far more expensive, in both lives and dollars, than any attempt to succeed – flawed or not.
Syria, Iran, and Dick Durbin Denounce New Bush Plan for Iraq
You must be doing something right if… Iran and Syria on Thursday denounced President Bush’s new Iraq strategy that blames them for fueling violence in the war-torn country, and they...
A New Way Forward – Waiting on Bush’s Plan for Iraq
Details have been leaking for a while now: Sources said the plan will call for sending at least 20,000 U.S. troops to Baghdad and perhaps other areas in the region....
BBC News: President Bush to Boost Troop Levels in Iraq – Focus on Security
Word on the new plan is, not surprisingly, leaking out: The BBC was told by a senior administration source that the speech setting out changes in Mr Bush’s Iraq policy...
Iraq Study Group Gives Report to President Bush
The President has the report: President Bush got a preview Tuesday of the Iraq commission’s ideas for changing war policies, as the White House sought to dampen the report’s impact...
Bush in Iraq – The Photos
The White House has some photos of the trip up now. I’ve included one of them in the BoW image rotation. The DoD has a photo up as well up....
