Dumb And Dumber
Taking a page from President Bush's play-book, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee have decided to dabble in another country's politics. From today's NY Times:
The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, after completing a two-day tour of Iraq, said Monday that the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki should be voted from office because it has proved incapable of reaching the political compromises required to end violence there.
The Democratic chairman, Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, and the committee’s ranking Republican, Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, who traveled to Iraq together, issued a joint statement that was only slightly more temperate than Mr. Levin’s remarks. They warned that in the view of politicians in Washington, and of the American people, “time has run out” on attempts to forge a political consensus in Baghdad.
Mr. Levin said that in his view, the political stalemate in Iraq could be attributed to Mr. Maliki and other senior Iraqi officials who were unable to operate independently of religious and sectarian leaders. [Emphasis added]
Mr. Levin's comments are a rather unique twist on the idea of "we broke it, we own it," except the people of Iraq are not going to be real happy with the idea of a US senate leader ordering them to fire their government. If anything, those comments might very well have ensured Mr. al-Maliki's government a little breathing room as citizens flock to support it in the face of such outrageous interference.
I guess it was too much to hope for that people in Washington, DC would recognize that everytime the US inserts itself into other nation's elections, the winners are always those who the US wants least in office.
Now, here's the thing: what Sen. Levin said is probably an accurate reflection of what's going on in Iraq: no officials in Iraq can "operate independently of religious and sectarian leaders." We can pin that state of affairs on the chaos we created by invading. Instead of imperiously demanding a change in the Iraqi government, however, Mr. Levin should have stuck to his own job description, and demanded a change in the US government policy in the area.
Withdrawing the US troops so that the Iraqi people could sort out their own country might be a better option.
The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, after completing a two-day tour of Iraq, said Monday that the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki should be voted from office because it has proved incapable of reaching the political compromises required to end violence there.
The Democratic chairman, Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, and the committee’s ranking Republican, Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, who traveled to Iraq together, issued a joint statement that was only slightly more temperate than Mr. Levin’s remarks. They warned that in the view of politicians in Washington, and of the American people, “time has run out” on attempts to forge a political consensus in Baghdad.
Mr. Levin said that in his view, the political stalemate in Iraq could be attributed to Mr. Maliki and other senior Iraqi officials who were unable to operate independently of religious and sectarian leaders. [Emphasis added]
Mr. Levin's comments are a rather unique twist on the idea of "we broke it, we own it," except the people of Iraq are not going to be real happy with the idea of a US senate leader ordering them to fire their government. If anything, those comments might very well have ensured Mr. al-Maliki's government a little breathing room as citizens flock to support it in the face of such outrageous interference.
I guess it was too much to hope for that people in Washington, DC would recognize that everytime the US inserts itself into other nation's elections, the winners are always those who the US wants least in office.
Now, here's the thing: what Sen. Levin said is probably an accurate reflection of what's going on in Iraq: no officials in Iraq can "operate independently of religious and sectarian leaders." We can pin that state of affairs on the chaos we created by invading. Instead of imperiously demanding a change in the Iraqi government, however, Mr. Levin should have stuck to his own job description, and demanded a change in the US government policy in the area.
Withdrawing the US troops so that the Iraqi people could sort out their own country might be a better option.
Labels: Foreign Policy, Iraq
posted by Diane at 4:00 AM
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