Editorial
Spinning Iraq
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/opinion/03sat1.html?_r=3D1&hp&oref=3Dslogi=
n
Published: May 3, 2008
President Bush will never live down =93Mission Accomplished=94 =97 and
should not. When the White House=92s spinners spun that claim five years
ago (remember the aircraft carrier?), it seemed cocky and premature.
As Mr. Bush continues his $526 billion war-without-end in Iraq, it
seems stunningly deceitful.
The only mission that needs to be accomplished is an orderly exit from
Iraq, and Mr. Bush is no closer to acknowledging that reality. Neither
is Senator John McCain. All Congress seems capable of is hand-
wringing.
So it is up to Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton to
revive the national debate on Iraq =97 and up the pressure on the White
House. While it is clear that Mr. Bush has no intention of coming up
with an exit strategy, there are things he could do to give his
successor a better chance at containing the chaos after American
troops leave.
A rational debate must first recognize that Iraq is still a very
dangerous place. An increase in American forces last year initially
produced a steep decline in insurgent attacks. But attacks in April
killed more than 50 United States troops =97 the highest death toll for
a single month since last September.
Americans also need a full accounting of the American-financed and
American-led military training programs in Iraq, and a better
explanation of why Iraqi forces remain so weak. Prime Minister Nuri
Kamal al-Maliki=92s decision to finally challenge some ****ite militias
was a good thing, but it exposed how the Iraqi Army remains unprepared
=97 even now =97 to fight by itself.
We are encouraged that Mr. Maliki chose to talk to Tehran about its
role in arming and financing militias. It is long past time for
Iranian leaders to hear directly =97 and firmly =97 from their ****ite
brethren in Baghdad that such destabilizing behavior must stop. The
United States also needs to engage Iran, Syria and all of Iraq=92s
neighbors. They need to understand that more chaos in Iraq is not in
their interest.
It is shocking that the United States and Iraq still have no strategy
for dealing with more than 4 million Iraqis who have been driven from
their homes; 2.7 million people are internally displaced, and there
are another 1.5 million or more refugees in Syria and Jordan. This is
not only a question of human suffering. It threatens to spread Iraq=92s
chaos far beyond its borders.
Both Iraq and the United States must take responsibility. Baghdad,
awash in oil profits, must provide more aid to its own people.
Wa****ngton must provide more aid and allow in many more than the
12,000 refugees it has pledged to accept for this year. We fear that
it is unlikely to meet even that meager target.
The list of failings and missions not accomplished doesn=92t stop there.
Millions of Iraqis still don=92t have clean water and medical care,
thousands are jobless, the government is still dragging its feet on
im****tant reforms like an oil sharing law.
Mr. Bush no longer declares =93Mission Accomplished.=94 Quite the
opposite. He has made clear that he will keep troops in Iraq until he
leaves office =97 and then abandon the mess to his successor. The three
senators who want his job should insist that he address these problems
now.
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