An Open Letter to President Bush

Dear President Bush,

I commend you for having the guts to admit to previous mistakes. It is not easy to admit wrongdoing, especially considering your position. That being said, I think that it was a mistake to wait till this point in Iraq to make changes in our policy. I fear that our inability to take a detailed look at “stay the course” has narrowed the window for effective change in Iraq. I know that the November election was an imputis for change in the Iraq policy. You found Americans that had finally decided our plan in Iraq needed to be reevaluated, so you went back to the drawing board.

And the drawing board you went to was a blank one. You consulted people you agreed with, people you disagreed with, and those that were in neither camp. You showed a genuine desire to learn from previous mistakes, and learn from others. This was a process that I adored. I felt as if we were actually planning for the future instead of stepping into it. Instead of leaping before we looked, we looked before we leaped. Once again I commend you for taking a different attitude from the one you previously displayed.

In terms of the Iraq Study Group report, I think you did a find job in rejecting some of the policy suggestions. The ones you rejected that I disagreed with I will address later. I agree with you that involving Damascus and Tehran would be suicide. With the majority of Iran being Shiite, this would only alienate the Sunni’s even more. And then we are faced with the issue of which nation to work more with. The people of Iraq would begin to wonder what sect of Islam we were consulting more in establishing peace in the region. However I disagree with you in regards to putting deadlines on the Iraqi government. I think that we cannot slap restrictions on the government without warning, but I would appreciate a more firm stance regarding future progress. I think it was a mistake not to put deadlines in the future.

Now I’d like to address your current plan. Although I continue to hear liberals and some conservatives ranting about these initiatives bearing similar to previously failed initiatives, I would agree with you that this plan is a change. Some of the initiatives are the same, troop increases have been used before, but you have placed different people in charge of key positions. You have put resourceful people like William Fallon and Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus in charge of US troops in Iraq. This means that these pragmatic people will stand a better chance of implementing previous initiatives. As a friend told me, if your son is not performing in a race, and there is not another alternative practice schedule, then replace the coach.

However, I am concerned by the troop surge. As far as I have read, there are too many negative impacts of the “surge.” The first is that it can be really easy for the insurgency and death squads to slip into the background before emerging again with a drawback of US troops. I find this to be slightly compelling, but not very compelling due to it’s lack of empirical evidence. If this is true, then why aren’t they in the woodwork right now. It is a non-unique attack. However, the second and more realistic fault I have with the surge is that it is too little too late. I doubt if 21,000 more Americans can turn the tide. In order to patrol Baghdad at a level necessary to prevent serious secretarian violence, we need a force that can watch every street. Unfortunately, I doubt if this force can do that. When we add the 3 additional Iraqi brigades to Baghdad, I still doubt that this is possible. Furthermore, we will have to worry about a relocation of the insurgency if Baghdad becomes secure. At least this might signal some progress, but this would only put our two military forces running around the country trying to find the hotbed of the month. I know that we do not really have the type of numbers to secure Baghdad at the level to make real progress, so I get the feeling that this solution is like putting a band aid on a gunshot wound to the head.

The last criticism that I would like to address is putting standards on the Iraqi government. This is the area that I agree with the Iraqi Study Group on, but differ with yourself on. I know that you have mentioned that US support is not open-ended, but I would like to see some deadlines for the government that carried real weight. Possibly a deadline on the time that US troops would begin to phase out of Baghdad. If that is not met, then the US will reduce x support in y area. This way we provide plenty of warning, but set a real deadline. I do not have the same trust as you do in Maliki, and think that firm and specific deadlines would better put the onus on him to put an end to Shiite death squads and quell secretarian violence.

With all that being said I do want to agree with you regarding some of your choices in Iraq. It would be virtually impossible for the US to try and establish a better government. We cannot go in and change the elected officials of a country. It would also be virtually impossible to withdraw our troops which seems to be the advocacy of the democrats. We have picked our hand, and we can’t turn back. Instead we must do the best with the hand we have. We must put all trust and faith in the Iraqi government because it is the only option that stands the chance of bringing a new day to the country. We must not forget the sacrifice we have made up to this point and walk away. By walking away from the battle without its completion, we only destabilize the region more.

In concluding, I think it would be wise for you to ask your politicians to provide a way forward that solves for all of their criticisms. What are they going to say? That we have to install a new government. That we have to pull out troops. That we have to negotiate with countries that have an entirely negative track record for a peaceful democracy. In all of this war talk it is really easy to criticize, and really difficult to take a position and stand firm upon it. Therefore, I commend you for having the courage to do that, but I also think that the ease it takes to criticize our policy there reveals the mistake we first made in invading the country.

Sincerely,
Dustin McCurry