11.12.2006
Hard Lessons All Round From America (Guardian.co.uk)
Leader
Sunday November 12, 2006
The Observer
Members of the US Congress have two basic functions: they should pass laws for the benefit of the people and they should exert constitutional restraint on the White House. Last week, voters judged their delegates to have failed on both counts. They had legislated to enrich themselves and their friends; they had not challenged a President who, after winning office on a slim majority, pursued a divisive, partisan agenda with aggressive ineptitude. Since a majority of congressmen were, like the President, Republicans, voters wanting a change gave control to the Democrats.
Top of the list of grievances was the Iraq war. Acknowledging the rebuke, President Bush sacked Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. His departure was overdue. Mr Rumsfeld refused before the war to make plans for the stabilisation and reconstruction of post-Saddam Iraq. He believed the task would be easy and that there would be no need for a prolonged US military presence in the country. He was proved utterly wrong, but refused to acknowledge it. As long as Rumsfeld was in charge at the Pentagon, the political debate about what to do in Iraq was stifled. His departure will not change the situation on the ground, but it will end the denial. Recognising the reality that Iraq is in danger of collapsing into bloody chaos would be an improvement on the policy of pretending it is not.
The Democrats, while effective in their attacks on the White House, do not have other policies of their own for Iraq. American mothers want their soldier sons out of harm's way forthwith, but the politicians know that it is in neither US nor Iraqi interests to surrender the country to bloodthirsty militias and al-Qaeda mercenaries. Realism, in the short term at least, may mean more rather than less military engagement, targeting the militia leaders directly instead of waiting for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to have them arrested when clearly he will not.
(More ... Guardian Unlimited > The Observer > Leader)
Sunday November 12, 2006
The Observer
Members of the US Congress have two basic functions: they should pass laws for the benefit of the people and they should exert constitutional restraint on the White House. Last week, voters judged their delegates to have failed on both counts. They had legislated to enrich themselves and their friends; they had not challenged a President who, after winning office on a slim majority, pursued a divisive, partisan agenda with aggressive ineptitude. Since a majority of congressmen were, like the President, Republicans, voters wanting a change gave control to the Democrats.
Top of the list of grievances was the Iraq war. Acknowledging the rebuke, President Bush sacked Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. His departure was overdue. Mr Rumsfeld refused before the war to make plans for the stabilisation and reconstruction of post-Saddam Iraq. He believed the task would be easy and that there would be no need for a prolonged US military presence in the country. He was proved utterly wrong, but refused to acknowledge it. As long as Rumsfeld was in charge at the Pentagon, the political debate about what to do in Iraq was stifled. His departure will not change the situation on the ground, but it will end the denial. Recognising the reality that Iraq is in danger of collapsing into bloody chaos would be an improvement on the policy of pretending it is not.
The Democrats, while effective in their attacks on the White House, do not have other policies of their own for Iraq. American mothers want their soldier sons out of harm's way forthwith, but the politicians know that it is in neither US nor Iraqi interests to surrender the country to bloodthirsty militias and al-Qaeda mercenaries. Realism, in the short term at least, may mean more rather than less military engagement, targeting the militia leaders directly instead of waiting for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to have them arrested when clearly he will not.
(More ... Guardian Unlimited > The Observer > Leader)
Labels: 2006 election, Guardian, Iraq, Opinion
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