Things in Iraq have gotten so bad
that Arkansas’ distinguished junior
United States senator, Mark Pryor, has started voting like a Democrat. His sense of betrayal is probably heightened by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ promise of formal confirmation proceedings for federal prosecutors. Somehow, Pryor expected honesty from a high-ranking government official. The Bush administration is running an everescalating credibility deficit. None of this is good for the fighting men and women inside Iraq or the folks back home who worry, pray and pay for this enormously expensive and disastrous military misadventure. Around Arkansas, a prominent “red” state, ordinarily gung-ho Southerners are wondering if the Reservists and Guard members will have the necessary equipment to train and enough weapons when ultimately they are deployed into the worsening conflict.
Things are so desperate that it is now pointless to debate smaller issues, such as the unlikely existence of weapons of mass destruction. If Saddam Hussein was dangerous, and that is a reasonably good assumption, the current military and political landscape is even more foreboding. There were those who warned that this might become a horrible trap, but what real good does it do to say “I told you so” ?
Vietnam is a haunting, terrifying, unrelenting specter for a certain generation. That farce ended in mere humiliation before the entire international community. In a sense, it was a valuable learning experience.
Unfortunately, the painful lessons of even recent history do not seem to stay learned for long. Getting out of Iraq will not be such a straightforward matter as dispatching Marine helicopters to the American Embassy and a few final airlifts out of the Baghdad airport.
So long as there is an endless supply of angry young Arabs and energetic religious kooks to urge these eager insurgents onward to glorious martyrdom, things are bound to continue downhill for American interests. The oft-quoted daydream of congressional critics that Iraqis be required to attain certain “benchmarks” and become more responsible for their own country is a bit laughable.
Like the American service personnel, the home-grown soldiers are certainly doing their best under almost impossible circumstances. It took the United States of America over a decade to form a workable government. It is beyond hypocrisy to expect any more from the people of Iraq.
While we consider the ultimate ungraceful exit, it is useful to remember that there are others who also have an urgent strategic interest in Iraq. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and a host of regional powers have been living high on America’s selfindulgent oil addiction, and they should be mighty concerned about encouraging the most important ingredient of prosperity, peace. Those folks have the “street creds” to deal with the more strident elements of Arab culture and they are not without financial resources.
The decision to depart Iraq is both practical and disturbing. Certainly, those of us who endured the horrible scenes of American sympathizers being left to fend for themselves in the face of advancing Viet Cong forces take no pleasure in what may befall Sunnis at the hands of Shiite militants. This is the time for sober reflection, an American Gethsemane.
There is obviously an economic consequence to continued American presence in Iraq, but there is another matter of even greater importance. Our national credibility is being diminished every day by the insurgent attacks. Withdrawal will be a setback, but it would be a rock-bottom moment from which we would recover. The alternative is a slow, anguished bleeding out upon the desert sands.
These are very deep and difficult questions, and certainly better addressed by a trustworthy and intelligent executive branch. Given the current leadership, or lack thereof, Congress and the American people will need to sort this out, and it will not be easy. While Democratic leaders struggle with finding a date for withdrawal, they seem not to notice the Bush fascination with Iran.
Facing up to an unstable Iranian government requires wisdom and finesse that are not possible for 535 elected lawmakers. It will be sufficient to keep America out of direct conflict with Iran. Since the Bush White House has permitted interrogation techniques some of us might think of as torture, we should hope that no American soldiers fall into Iranian hands. There will be a new president in less than two years. An honest, bipartisan foreign policy would do wonders for this great nation.
—–––––•–––––—Free-lance columnist Pat Lynch has been a radio broadcaster in Central Arkansas for more than 20 years.
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