The American commander and chief diplomat in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, gave their long-awaited assessment of the situation in Iraq to the combined congressional Armed Forces committees earlier this week.
Petraeus did outline some military successes in Iraq. However, it became clear over the course of the two days of testimony little progress has been made politically by the Al-Maliki government.
The Iraq government has shown a callous disregard for creating a stable environment for its citizens. The factions in parliament, distinguished by ethnic rather than philosophical differences, clearly seem unwilling to compromise their agendas to reach agreements necessary to keep the country running smoothly.
This summer, they recessed without passing key legislation for reconciliation among the Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites. In Minnesota, recessing without passing key legislation is highly inconvenient. In a volatile environment such as Iraq, it's inexcusable.
In contrast to the committee testimony that was given, assessments of the situation from Iraqi citizens deteriorated over the surge period. In an ABC poll conducted both in March and August, 78 percent of the randomly polled Iraqis felt things were going badly, up from 65 percent in March. Only 11 percent believe the surge has strengthened security on the whole.
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When Bush tried to sell the surge to the public in January, he told the American people the surge would give time to Iraqi politicians to meet benchmarks. The US General Accountability Office found that as of September, the Iraqi government met only three of 18 benchmarks. Even Bush's cabinet can only make the case for half the benchmarks, a failing grade by any standard.
It's impossible to continue to give resources forever on the hope it will help when mounting evidence suggests handouts just enable the continuation of self-destruction. To "return on success" when success seems quixotic is just another euphemism for the status quo.
One lesson can be learned from this fiasco. While democracy may be the most enviable political form for the values of freedom and equality, the US cannot mandate nations and regions to implement it. We can speak out for it, even fund democratic movements, but we cannot force people to be democratic at the business end of a gun.
The general and diplomat outlined a plan for withdrawal to bring troops back to "pre-surge levels" by next July. Bush echoed their sentiment in his Thursday night address. The plan is a compromise Democrats likely still have to accept, as it appears they may still lack the votes necessary to force a rapid troop withdrawal or funding cut.
And whether the public interprets the situation in Iraq as a victory or a defeat, we've reached agreement: we need to start bringing troops home.
