The Roosevelt Institution

Getting Practical on Iraq

Posted by Brian Levy on Wed, 02 May 2007 23:08 PST

I’m not really an expert on the war in Iraq; most of my work deals with poverty, social justice, and welfare.  However, Tuesday’s fourth anniversary of ‘Mission Accomplished’ underscores the need for practical policy on the matter.  And that’s what I try to utilize in my writings – practical policy.  Solutions that are feasible, testable, and politically attractive.

There is a paucity of such proposals in Washington.  The President is unwilling to compromise on Iraq, instead content to constantly shift the goal for which the war is waged.  The Democrats have yet to formulate a policy that they could truly force the President to sign.  Such is the current political impasse.

When I come to similar situations in my research, I like to review what is already known.  So humor me, and let’s review what we already know.

First, the situation in Iraq is bad.  Bombs are blowing up in the supposedly secure Green Zone, and countless Iraqis have died.  Second, top commanders believe that the current troop surge is the last chance for Iraqi leaders to establish a functioning, stable government.  Third, General Petraeus, along with several of President Bush’s advisors, has stated that we will know whether or not the surge is working in September.

Therein lays the appropriate policy.  Step one: Congress must take the President at his word.  That’s right, Congress should trust President Bush.  They should utilize the September timeline in his rhetoric as the war’s success threshold.  If the surge is unsuccessful, troop withdrawal should begin.

Step two: Congress should establish benchmarks to define success.  President Bush has defined success in more ways than Webster over the past five years: toppling Saddam, the end of major combat operations, the first elections, the second elections, a constitution, and Iraqi ability to live a normal life without fear – just to name a few.  Congress should be able to access a few military and national security leaders in time to form an appropriate definition.

Step three: Tie this legislation to the supplemental war funding bill the President has requested.  If the spending bill cannot be passed in time, push through a one-month emergency supplement and then pass the larger bill.

This seems like the proper, practical plan for the Iraq war.  Democrats accomplish their goal of limiting the President’s spending authority while maintaining, and actually employing, Bush’s war rhetoric.  But then again, what do I know?  I’m only a twenty-two year old poverty researcher.

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