OC (CA) Register: We're still waiting

Thursday, December 1, 2005

We're still waiting

President Bush's speech at the Naval Academy on Wednesday was disappointing on several levels. First, of course, was that it was long on chest-thumping bravado and short on actual strategy, let alone details.

Even more disappointing is that it suggests the president seems to see "staying the course" and being seen as unwavering as more important than finding a way to start reducing the number of U.S. troops in Iraq.

(snip)

Perhaps more troubling, for an "in-depth" look at one aspect of the war, the training of Iraqi security forces, he didn't outline specific goals for training such forces, nor did he say what achieving those goals would mean in terms of reducing the U.S. troop commitment. He simply offered anecdotal evidence that there are more trained Iraqi police and military personnel than there were a year ago, and they were taking more responsibility.

(snip)

The president's discussion of Iraqi security forces seemed to assume they are all selflessly devoted to the emerging nation of Iraq. But the unitary nation-state is something of an abstract concept in Iraq. The United States should acknowledge that some of the forces being trained and armed by the United States are more tribal or ethnic militias, sometimes used to settle old scores of which the United States is only dimly aware, if at all, than unitary national security forces.

(snip)

We understand that in a fluid situation it can be unwise to be tied to strict timetables or preset tactics. But the president will have to do better than this at defining progress and success if he wants to restore flagging public support for this ill-advised war.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/opinion/abox/article_866609.php

esp. nice to see this in OC