Time for a New Strategy

Originally the Republican Administration sold the war in Iraq because of “evidence” of an impending nuclear threat, a threat that evolved into a general case about weapons of mass destruction. Faulty intelligence persuaded Congress to authorize funds for the war and in March of 2003 our troops were pulling down statues of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad and the President experienced one of his proudest moments with the “Mission Accomplished” embarrassment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

As the war progressed and no WMDs were located, the war evolved into a case of Saddam Hussein’s involvement with the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Subsequently, thousands of pages of documentation proved otherwise, and the reasons for war have further evolved into a fight against terrorism in general.

The republican president’s reasons for the war in Iraq are as elusive as his general strategy, a strategy still so mysterious that the slogan “stay the course” has been adopted to satisfy public demand for information. That empty slogan has provided the backbone for the president’s raison d’être, and the catch phrase “cut and run” is used to label the tactic of those who questioned the president’s policy of “staying the course.” Interestingly, with the president’s war-approval rating (CNN/Time) down to 20% and the mid-term election less than two weeks away, the president has become unexpectedly open to something other than “staying the course.” Undoubtedly, the president’s new openness is related to the threat to republican control of both Houses of Congress.

I worked at the US Senate during the republican revolution of 1994. As humiliating as it was to be ousted from our “majority” offices, the education was enlightening and I am proud to have witnessed such historic passage of events in American history. But less than 12 years later, thanks largely to the tunnel-vision politics of President Bush, the republicans are on the verge of losing that control. At the time people blamed the Clinton Administration’s arrogance and alleged involvement in scandal. And now just the opposite is happening: the party that swore to improve Washington has been infected by its venom, becoming lost in their own scandals and arrogance.

What’s wonderful about democracy is that we can revolt peacefully when our government becomes out of control, and the Bush Administration’s policies are careening wildly. The president’s insistence on “staying the course” has led us into an unprecedented debacle, for which he even refuses to accept responsibility. This month, October of 2006, could be the month of the largest US casualties since the war began. The United States has now been engaged in war in Iraq longer than in it fought against the Nazis and Japan during World War II. And for what? There were no WMDs. Hussein was not tied to 9/11. Iraq was not a terrorist haven before US forces invaded.

President Bush today insisted that we were “winning” the war in Iraq. Apparently, his definition of winning includes increasing death rates and no foreseeable exit strategy. Although he asserts that Iraq is a terrorist haven, he refuses to send the quantity of troops necessary to fight the war effectively. Colin Powell stated that 300,000 troops were required to win in Iraq and other generals have come around in the recent months with similar assertions. If the president believes his goal is to destroy terrorism, then why does he not supply the necessary troops? If he believes in his heart that America will win in Iraq, why does he not provide all the necessary resources? Is he not Commander-in-Chief? Why does he give in to such political pressure to keep troop levels low? In fact, Bush’s inaction has allowed terrorism to fester. The republicans' first failure was to invade Iraq, their continuing failure is to not put forth sufficient effort to be successful.

The president and his party have failed the troops, they have failed the American people, and because of their mindless strategy of “staying the course” they are failing in Iraq. The American people have to remove from power the supporters of an Administration guilty of at least negligence and at most genocide. We need to take these serious responsibilities away from those who really do not know how to handle them and give them to someone who can.

The republican strategy has carved another Afghanistan out of Iraq, with warlords in control and terrorists training camps in abundance, only this time they are training on American soldiers. Unfortunately, therefore, we cannot walk away. The only way to be successful in the war in Iraq is to establish the massive troop levels as foreseen by Colin Powell. The Bush Republicans created this vast terrorist training camp and because of their treacherous incompetence, they must not be allowed to let it continue.

When you vote in the mid-term elections, vote for the candidates who have new ideas on how to win in Iraq. We can no longer keep in power the republicans who have insisted on “staying the course.”