Iraq Panel Calls Conditions 'Grave and Deteriorating'
Conditions in Iraq are "grave and deteriorating," with the prospect that a "slide toward chaos" could topple the U.S.-backed government and trigger a regional war unless the United States changes course and seeks a broader diplomatic and political solution involving all of Iraq's neighbors, according to a bipartisan panel that gave its recommendations to President Bush and Congress today.
In what amounts to the most extensive independent assessment of the nearly four-year-old conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 2,800 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis, the Iraq Study Group paints a bleak picture of a nation that Bush has repeatedly vowed to transform into a beacon of freedom and democracy in the Middle East.
Despite a list of 79 recommendations meant to encourage regional diplomacy and lead to a reduction of U.S. forces over the next year, the panel acknowledges that stability in Iraq may be impossible to achieve any time soon.
The top 3 points emphasized by the group are:
The group's recommendations for the way forward in Iraq focus largely on building a broad international consensus for helping the nation, pushing Iraq to meet a set of rather ambitious deadlines for internal progress, and gradually reducing the U.S. troop presence there while boosting support for Iraqi army control of the security situation.
Along with:
The study group recommends that the United States withdraw nearly all of its combat units from Iraq by early 2008, sharply reducing the current troop level of more than 140,000 while leaving behind tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel to advise, train and embed with Iraqi forces.
It also recommends that Bush threaten to reduce economic and military support for Iraq's government if it fails to meet specific benchmarks intended to improve security in the country. It suggests that the Bush administration open talks with Iran and Syria about ways to end the violence in Iraq, proposes holding a regional conference to bring together all of Iraq's neighbors and urges Bush to aggressively tackle the Israeli-Palestinian dispute to reduce the broader regional tensions fueling the Iraq conflict.
The Washington Post has more....
No doubt the Cherry-Picker-in-Chief will now feel more than slightly defeated but he'll most likely come out in public feistier than ever as he tries to continue to exert his authority while now pretending that some of these ideas were his own to begin with. And although 'freedom is on the march' is a stale, old cliche, there's no doubt that he won't abandon what he calls his 'optimism' (which others call living in la la land) to keep pushing this idea that the US can somehow 'win' (which no one seems to be able to define) in Iraq.
What Bush needs to realize is that this is no longer about him, his legacy and how he can best cover his ass. He now needs to start taking this very seriously for the sake of America, Iraq, the coalition, the broader Middle East and most importantly for those who are being wounded and who are dying every day in the name of his horrendous misadventure. I doubt, however, that he is up to the challenge.
You can read the Iraq Study Group's executive summary, full report and appendices (.pdf files) by following the links on The Washington Post's site. I haven't had the chance to read through everything yet... Additionally, check out CSPAN for video of the Study Group's press conference.
Update: You can also download the ISG report here on the U.S. Institute of Peace site.
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