Center for Politics and Foreign Relations | Thinking About It

Thinking About It
November 16, 2006

Iraq:  No Magic Solution

“There are no magic solutions” that will come out of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group, stated CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent and Moderator of “Face the Nation” Bob Schieffer at our Center on Politics & Foreign Relations/Financial Times breakfast on Tuesday, November 14^th.

Speaking about the upcoming presidential elections Schieffer went on to say, “One thing I think for sure: neither side wants this war to be an issue in 2008.”

I totally agree with Schieffer that there are going to be “no magic solutions coming out of the Iraq Study Group.”  There is way too much pressure being placed on this committee of wise men and women to solve the problems of American involvement in Iraq.

We cannot “outsource” American foreign policy to a committee.  The Bush Administration got us into the chaos in Iraq and it is up to them to solve the problem.  Bush is the commander-in-chief for the next two years and a new Democratic House and Senate will not change that fact.

The Administration can listen to suggestions but in the final analysis they are the ones who have to implement a policy that will do more than just “staying the course” in Iraq.  Victory has to be defined by the Administration that will somehow justify our tremendous sacrifice in loss of life and the large amounts of money being spent for “democracy” in Iraq.

With the American presence in Iraq reaching close to the amount of time it took to fight World War II, it is not inappropriate for the American public to shout out – as they did in voting for a new Congress – where is the plan from the Administration for our involvement to end in Iraq?  When will the Iraqis have to stand or fall on their own? America cannot occupy the country forever.  The Administration has to have a plan and have a plan that works.  The American voter was saying we are tired of the Administration’s incompetence whether it be in the poor handling of Katrina to the incredibly poor lack of planning for what to do in Iraq after the mission was supposedly “accomplished”.

Putting all the pressure on the Iraq Study Group to get the Bush Administration out of one of the largest failures in American foreign policy is unrealistic.

James Baker is a person who can get things done and Lee Hamilton, my former congressman, is as honest, knowledgeable and dependable as anyone in or out of government. They should be listened to but they are not in the government.  Don’t put the pressure on them to solve the problem of Iraq.  They cannot do it.  The president and his team have to solve the problem of Iraq and they need to solve it soon while they still have some credibility left.

While Baker and Hamilton are known for their foreign policy expertise (a former secretary of state and a former head of the House International Relations Committee) other members of the Iraq Study Group are not known for their experience in foreign relations.

What background does former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor or Clinton friend Vernon Jordan have in foreign policy matters?

The cover of Newsweek this week has “ Father Knows Best” with the president’s dad being lionized as a man who knows how to get things done and his son should listen to him to solve the crisis in Iraq.

Once again, everyone from the media to analysts to voters seem to be saying that other people than the current Administration has better advice for ending American involvement in Iraq.

Other people may have better ideas but in the final analysis it is up to the Bush Administration to get us out of the chaotic situation in Iraq that they got us into.

Nobody’s father or no study group can actually change America’s course in Iraq.  Only the president can do that.

The question is: Does the president have the will and the courage to change direction in Iraq?

Everyone else can talk but only President George W. Bush can act to end American involvement in Iraq in a way that will satisfy the American public; leave the situation in Iraq more peaceful and more democratic and help the overall status of peace in the Middle East.

Robert J. Guttman
Founder and Director, CPFR