The President Should Declare Victory in Iraq
Despite an otherwise misguided foreign policy, President Obama’s management of Iraq has been comparatively judicious. Like Bush, Obama has not done all he could – or should. The Iranian problem is being ignored; Tehran’s influence in Iraq has not been adequately countered. But overall, Obama has quietly sustained the Bush-Petraeus surge/de-escalation plan of 2007-08 and has respected the Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government. For supporters of a stable, peaceful, and democratic Arab ally, this administration’s continuity of Iraq policy should not go unappreciated.
Now the U.S. combat role is coming to an end. In a recent speech to Disabled American Veterans, President Obama restated the August 31, 2010, deadline of “[changing] our military mission from combat to supporting and training Iraqi security forces.” The usual ascetics are involved, too. On August 31, the official title of the war effort will be renamed from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn. We should welcome this change in taxonomy. The war as we once knew it — or at least as Obama defines it — will be over.
But the United States should go one step further. At month’s end, President Obama should travel to Baghdad and declare victory in the second Gulf War.
Would this be a premature declaration, Obama’s “mission accomplished” moment? Though battered and beaten, the enemies of a free Iraq will continue to wield a veto on when “combat operations” come to a conclusion throughout the theater. Those caricaturized neocons had it right: self-government in Iraq undermines Khomeinist circles in Iran, Ba’athist dictators in Syria, and Wahhabi princes in Saudi Arabia. So long as these regimes exist and fund terror, they will continue to fight the United States — using Iraq as a proxy battlefield. There could be another al-Qaedist insurrection; Iran could intervene militarily. There are a whole host of bad things that could happen in 2011 and beyond.
But these possibilities should not dissuade the United States from declaring victory now, in 2010. Those hypothetical events would constitute a new affair, a different epoch. This war has lasted more than seven years — March 2003 through August 2010. In ’06, all seemed hopeless. In ’07, the strategy was changed and it has been a positive (though uneven) trajectory since. While violence remains, together with the Iraqis we are nevertheless entering a new era. This is a good thing. From an American perspective, Iraq is the new Israel: an ally worthy of defense; under siege from a common enemy; destined to be part of the broader, regional conflict between freedom and tyranny for the foreseeable future.
Tens of thousands of brave Iraqis have bled and died fighting alongside U.S. troops against Islamic terrorists. As we withdraw from Iraq, President Obama should make it known to the region that we will remain committed to our friends. We are in deep need of a show of strength. Wouldn’t it be nice to see Obama go to Baghdad, stand with Iraq’s motley crew of political leaders (Allawi, Maliki, etc.), along with Secretary Clinton and Generals Odierno and Mattis, and state in front of an audience of rowdy U.S. and Iraqi soldiers the triumph over Saddamist cultism, dictatorship, insurgency, and jihadist terrorism?
We should not declare victory. Although the outcome in Iraq looks encouraging, we should simply carry on with what we are doing (keeping approximately 50,000 support troops in Iraq) and hope the place does not fall apart. Basically,we should treat it like the end of the Korean War. In Korea, the fighting just ended in an armistice. Obviously, there is no 38th Parallel in Iraq, but you still do have some deep divisions within the country, such as the Sunni areas being separated from the Shiah areas and the Kurds separated from everybody else. But there is no total victory here. I would just be happy if the country holds together and a Civil War does not take place. And, if we declare victory, it could act as an incentive or challenge to both al Qaeda and Iran to try to break the peace that has been created. Let’s just quietly be satisfied that, for the time being, the future looks good for Iraq and leave it at that.
Obama cannot declare a victory in Iraq, as long as the insurgents will “insurge” immediately behind our pull out. The Iraqi president has stated that we will be needed until 2012 or longer. We dare not leave Iraq to be divided as Korea and Vietnam still are. Our name will be “mud” in the world……but then again I think that’s exactly what Obamunist wants.
I do not believe we have won anything in Iraq. We have lost valuable lives, but we have not won.
The people in the middle east were the recipients of “hope” that never came to fruition.
It is unfortunate, but I believe they will be paying a high price for this hope in the very near future.
Does the US ever actually win? We have armchair quarterbacks…lotsa them,
and lot of “woulda, coulda, shoulda”..
If the future for Iraq looks good, it will be another 10,000 years before the country will look like it was not invaded by an Imperialist Foreign Government that used depleted uranium in their WMD. Having the name “mud” is a compliment compared to what the world says US of A means. United States of Aggression. Here is a link to an article from 2006 that will really let you know what the people will think about a troop withdrawal from eyewitness accounts. – http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/11/haditha200611?currentPage=all This link tells you how they are compensated for their losses. – http://www.iraqbodycount.org/analysis/beyond/the-price-of-loss/
THe real message that Obubu has sent the enemy: We will not defeat you, we will simply knock you on your butt. We will not disarm you, we will leave the knife in your hand. We will not truly wage war against you as war is meant to be waged, and when victory is in our grasp, we will leave, giving you the chance to slither out from under your rock to bite again. We have the ability to defeat you, but not the balls to carry it out.
Hey Tony, how long did you serve in Iraq? Talk to any of the people there? Perhaps you should go over there and have a chat with them before simply demonizing soldiers. Depleted Uranium is not a WMD, the US, the UK, Germany, China, Russia and Canada all use those rounds in their tanks. I really do hope we eventually just pull up stakes and leave Iraq, in less than a year it will be an extension of Iran. Want to bet the Saudis start screaming for help about then?
Barry is the absoulute wrong person to declare victory in Iraq. I do not want him anywhere near Baghdad. Perhaps my ideological bias is showing, but he will simply use the occasion to shower himself with accolades. He will make it sound like HE personally won the war, when in reality he did everything in his power to lose it when he was in the senate and as a candidate.
To let this egotistical maniac crow about a won war would be spitting on the graves of 4,500 US soldiers, who by his previous actions, gave aid and comfort to the enemy and probably contributed in no small way to some of those deaths.
In a perfect world, George W. Bush should be allowed to make such a pronouncement. But that is just a patriots dream.
2006 Vanity Fair article? No kidding? ROFL
As for Iraq, if Obambi plans on deserting the place then he should leave quietly and not say a word. After his shameless and dishonorable treatment of our generals and soldiers, the last thing he should do is declare victory. Fade into the woodwork and keep his mouth shut.
When was this war won? The US is leaving, hoping the place doesn’t fall apart. He can’t stand on a podium with Allawi and al-Maliki because they are basically enemies. The Sunnis and Shiites are almost certain to go to war against one another if the US actually leaves. It already happens with the car bombs. The Kurds also feel abandoned, and now have to fear a joint Iranian-Syrian-Turkish agenda against them.
The US ought not to have entered Iraq, given its lack of knowledge or interest in, these dynamics. Then add in the terrible mischief that Saudis have caused there by way of suicide bombing.
The war is not ‘won’; as Libertyship wrote, the US can not afford to leave. Then again, it’s now clear that beyond removing Saddam Bush either had no real practical war aims. Spreading democracy in the Islamic sphere was not going to happen. In that sense, Obama has not done so badly with Iraq. But it will unravel if the US truly leaves.
Obama bringing the troops home does in no way mean we have no presence in Iraq. The “war is over” statement would make sense if he, Obama, would say we are bringing home the American military and we are pulling our shadow military. Remember that DOD has increased the number of contractors of the defense and mercenary types and I might add at a much greater cost to the taxpayers.
Many have stated, those who study such things, that it would be more cost effective for us to pull out of both Iraq and Afghanistan and then return if we have to than to stay. The U.S. will never be successful in changing countries culture who’s wish is that it not be changed. We are throwing borrowed money down the toilet. American’s will continue to pay the ultimate sacrifice and monetary costs for many, many decades. Besides as long as we are in those countries the more of them will be allowed to come to America. I don’t think we want that to happen.
I dont think we have won the war, Obama has taken a quick exit to please the public but the problem with Iran still is there the influence is massive and will slowley convert Iraq into a mini Iran in the next few years.
This I must say was not one of Obamas wise decisions!
Like this self-absorbed jug-eared little ponce needs another opportunity to pat himself on the back…
We gave them a country to start anew. However, you cannot dress a monkey in a tuxedo and expect it to behave like a civilised humanbeing. The people of that region are born and bred mongrel beasts who thrive on pain and suffering – barbariabns, incapable of sophisitication in the modern world.
There’s no need for a declaration of victory now. Bush declared it in ’03, and for all the derision he got from the media and bloggers, he was right. The war with Saddam was fought and won in a couple of months. What followed was a long struggle to win the peace, and only the Iraqis can really end that one.
Of course, this is all hypothetical; Obama would never do what the author suggests. It’s not important whether it would be good for the country — the only calculations he makes involve himself. Chances to glorify himself are a dime a dozen, and this one could backfire far too easily.
So he won’t do it, and that’s fine by me, because even if he had the best of intentions, Obama would have no business whatsoever declaring victory. He did everything in his power to prevent this war, and then to undermine it. If Bush deserved a shoe in the face, how many must Obama merit?
Obama.. go to Iraq? He won’t go under such a moniker, even if visiting troops to build upon morale.
The guy stayed 26 hours at a beach that wasn’t effected by the Gulf oil spill ‘to prove the oil hadn’t effected the beach he was at’…?
Mr. Guariglia, the sand would put a heck of a glare on his teleprompter. He may have to, gasp.. ad lib!
The horror. The horror.