OP-ED: It is way past time for a new course in Iraq and Afghanistan
Wednesday May 07, 2008
By: Jeanne Shaheen
From: Union Leader
Wednesday May 07, 2008
By: Jeanne Shaheen
From: Union Leader
As Congress takes up another supplemental Iraq war funding bill this week, there will be a lot of debate about skyrocketing foreign and domestic spending, policies that are putting significant strain on our military and how we best support this newest generation of veterans who have sacrificed so much to serve our country. Yet American tax dollars continue to pour into Iraq while the Bush administration and its allies in Congress fail to hold the Iraqis accountable for Iraq.
Meanwhile, top military and civilian commanders, as well as our own intelligence agencies tell us that the war there has left us more vulnerable to terrorist threats than at any time since 2001.
It is long past time for us to set a new course. Over the past six years, instead of pursuing a national security policy that makes us stronger and more secure, our policies have stretched us to the limit and made us less safe. We need to move in a new direction. And we need to start in Iraq.
Our men and women serving in Iraq have done a remarkable job. They have done everything we've asked them to do. We should all be proud of their service.
But our soldiers are in the middle of a civil war as Iraqis fight each other for control. Military and civilian leaders agree the ultimate solution to Iraq is political, not military. Iraqis must find a way to solve these power struggles. The strategy of the last five years has failed to produce the political gains necessary to bring stability to Iraq.
It's time to begin the work of bringing our troops home safely and responsibly -- by setting a firm date to begin, and by planning a phased withdrawal with guidance from our top military advisers that protects the safety of our troops. It's time to send a clear message to Iraq's political and military factions that we will help, but that it is their responsibility to choose their country's future.
Part of Iraq taking responsibility for its own future means paying its own bills. For five years, U.S. taxpayers have funded Iraq reconstruction. As far back as 2003, the Bush administration promised Congress that the U.S. would not foot the entire bill for rebuilding Iraq -- that Iraqi oil revenues would be used. That has not happened. So while the Iraq government is earning more than $50 billion a year in oil revenues, American taxpayers are funding reconstruction in Iraq, spending an estimated $47 billion so far.
If we want an independent Iraq to emerge, we must end Iraq's dependence on U.S. tax dollars, just as we must end its dependence on the U.S. military.
Only by ending our involvement in Iraq's civil war can we more effectively focus the power of the United States military on defeating our most dangerous enemies.
Al-Qaida is reorganizing and once again directing worldwide terrorist attacks from the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Just last month, the Bush administration's own ambassador to Iraq testified before Congress that al-Qaida on the Afghan-Pakistan border, not in Iraq, poses the greatest threat to the United States. This is precisely the region that lost our attention and focus when we pulled our troops off the trail of bin Laden and sent them, along with our best aid workers and diplomats, to Baghdad. As we stopped paying attention, the Afghan government ran into trouble.
We must refocus our efforts -- we have taken our eye off the ball in the region of the world where al-Qaida poses the greatest threat to U.S. interests. We must redeploy our troops from Iraq if we are to defeat al-Qaida.
But it is not just our tactical decisions that make us stronger. We are a stronger nation when we engage with the international community, when we join forces with our allies and when we talk to our enemies. America is at its best when we lead through the power of our ideals, not just the power of our military.
When we abide by the Geneva Conventions and outlaw torture in all forms, we make America stronger. We can protect Americans' constitutional rights and our national security.
It is long past time for a new course. By redeploying our troops from Iraq, refocusing our efforts on terrorist threats where they are strongest and returning to the values that have made our nation a symbol of hope and opportunity around the world, we grow stronger and make America safer.
Meanwhile, top military and civilian commanders, as well as our own intelligence agencies tell us that the war there has left us more vulnerable to terrorist threats than at any time since 2001.
It is long past time for us to set a new course. Over the past six years, instead of pursuing a national security policy that makes us stronger and more secure, our policies have stretched us to the limit and made us less safe. We need to move in a new direction. And we need to start in Iraq.
Our men and women serving in Iraq have done a remarkable job. They have done everything we've asked them to do. We should all be proud of their service.
But our soldiers are in the middle of a civil war as Iraqis fight each other for control. Military and civilian leaders agree the ultimate solution to Iraq is political, not military. Iraqis must find a way to solve these power struggles. The strategy of the last five years has failed to produce the political gains necessary to bring stability to Iraq.
It's time to begin the work of bringing our troops home safely and responsibly -- by setting a firm date to begin, and by planning a phased withdrawal with guidance from our top military advisers that protects the safety of our troops. It's time to send a clear message to Iraq's political and military factions that we will help, but that it is their responsibility to choose their country's future.
Part of Iraq taking responsibility for its own future means paying its own bills. For five years, U.S. taxpayers have funded Iraq reconstruction. As far back as 2003, the Bush administration promised Congress that the U.S. would not foot the entire bill for rebuilding Iraq -- that Iraqi oil revenues would be used. That has not happened. So while the Iraq government is earning more than $50 billion a year in oil revenues, American taxpayers are funding reconstruction in Iraq, spending an estimated $47 billion so far.
If we want an independent Iraq to emerge, we must end Iraq's dependence on U.S. tax dollars, just as we must end its dependence on the U.S. military.
Only by ending our involvement in Iraq's civil war can we more effectively focus the power of the United States military on defeating our most dangerous enemies.
Al-Qaida is reorganizing and once again directing worldwide terrorist attacks from the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Just last month, the Bush administration's own ambassador to Iraq testified before Congress that al-Qaida on the Afghan-Pakistan border, not in Iraq, poses the greatest threat to the United States. This is precisely the region that lost our attention and focus when we pulled our troops off the trail of bin Laden and sent them, along with our best aid workers and diplomats, to Baghdad. As we stopped paying attention, the Afghan government ran into trouble.
We must refocus our efforts -- we have taken our eye off the ball in the region of the world where al-Qaida poses the greatest threat to U.S. interests. We must redeploy our troops from Iraq if we are to defeat al-Qaida.
But it is not just our tactical decisions that make us stronger. We are a stronger nation when we engage with the international community, when we join forces with our allies and when we talk to our enemies. America is at its best when we lead through the power of our ideals, not just the power of our military.
When we abide by the Geneva Conventions and outlaw torture in all forms, we make America stronger. We can protect Americans' constitutional rights and our national security.
It is long past time for a new course. By redeploying our troops from Iraq, refocusing our efforts on terrorist threats where they are strongest and returning to the values that have made our nation a symbol of hope and opportunity around the world, we grow stronger and make America safer.
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