President Bush’s Endless War

By: Dr. Leonard Carrier, DW In-House Historian and Philosopher

On September 13 we got President Bush’s plan for Iraq. He announced that incremental withdrawals would take place, but that in 2009 we would still have a significant military presence in that country. In other words, he is determined to hand the war off to our next president so that his own administration will not be blamed for losing it. This might be crafty politics, but his strategy is being paid for in the blood of our servicemen and women, not to mention the blood of Iraqi civilians enmeshed in an intractable civil war. What conceivable good can be gained from policing a civil war? There is none. Our occupation is the fuel that keeps the fires of insurrection burning.

What the President has done is to challenge all those in Congress who demand a timetable for leaving Iraq to put their money where their mouths are, or rather, not to put any more money into funding our occupation. Until now, with a few notable exceptions, Congress has been loath to advocate the only means at their disposal for ending our occupation of Iraq, which is to cut off funding. They have not done so because they are afraid of being accused of “not supporting the troops.” This is a groundless fear. They can vote to provide only those funds used to bring these troops home safely. That is the sensible way to support the troops, not by continuing to let them fall prey to daily insurgent attacks.

John Edwards responded to the President’s speech in a commercial on MSNBC paid for by his presidential campaign. In no uncertain terms, Edwards put the pressure where it should have been ever since Democrats won both houses of Congress last year. Given that President Bush will not yield on his plan of our never-ending presence in Iraq, Congress must simply accept Bush’s challenge and cut off funding for the war. Of course, this will take courage, and the President is betting that Congress does not have the will to do it. Because arguments will not sway this president, the time has come for Congress to put up or shut up.

Dennis Kucinich has outlined a 12-point plan for withdrawing from Iraq, based on the premise that the solution in Iraq must be political and not military. He argues convincingly that it is not credible to oppose the war and yet continue funding it, and so the Administration should be notified now that Congress will not approve further appropriations to continue our occupation.

In brief, here is what we must do under Kucinich’s plan: (1) announce that we will end the occupation, close our military bases, and withdraw; (2) use funds already appropriated to pay for the safe return of our troops and their equipment, while preparing for the transition of an international peacekeeping force; (3) order all U.S. contractors home and turn over contracting work to Iraqis; (4) convene a regional conference to develop a stabilizing force for Iraq, using the UN to organize this conference; (5) work with the UN to mobilize and authorize peacekeeping forces; (6) develop and fund a drive for national reconciliation among Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites; (7) restart the failed reconstruction of Iraq, with the jobs going to local Iraqis; (8) along with Great Britain, pay reparations to Iraqis for causing loss of life, injuries, and damage to property; (9) deny any intention to privatize Iraq’s oil assets, allowing Iraq to have political sovereignty; (10) set out a plan to stabilize Iraq’s costs for food and energy; (11) work with the world community to restore Iraq’s fiscal integrity; and (12) establish a policy of truth and reconciliation between the people of the United States and the people of Iraq.

John Edwards has answered Bush’s plan for endless war with a plea to Congress to bring our troops home now. Dennis Kucinich has a detailed plan showing how this can be done. It is time for members of Congress to forget about the possible political fallout and to stiffen their spines and take action. If they do not do so then they remain complicit in Mr. Bush’s war.

Leonard S. Carrier