Article/Column

Baltimore AFRO-American Newspaper

The wisdom of the American people:
"Time to change course in Iraq!"

Iraq cannot become a peaceful and stable society until it heals the wounds of its violent, totalitarian past and provides all of its people with hope for a better future.
Despite our quite understandable preoccupation with military success in Iraq, progress toward critical political and social objectives in that strife-torn nation will define the course of America's future engagement.

In practical terms, the political challenges facing the governing Iraqi coalition are clear.

The Iraqi Parliament must begin to heal their nation by reaching out to former Baath Party members within the Sunni Muslim minority – restoring those who were not directly involved in the former regime's crimes to leadership roles for which they are qualified.

It also must restore hope to the Iraqi people as a whole by adopting legislation that will guarantee a fair share of Iraq's oil wealth to all regions of the country.

These would be difficult challenges for any nation. In Iraq, however, the alternative to progress in meeting these objectives could be another decade of civil war.

Facing this danger, one would think that the Iraqi Parliament would be driven to forge the foundations of peace by a sense of urgency. Yet, despite calls by Prime Minister Maliki to continue working, the Parliament adjourned for a month-long vacation this week.

This inaction by the Parliament makes it highly unlikely that the concrete legislative achievements so desperately needed in Iraq will have been forged when General Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Crocker report to the Congress in September.

For the American people, the picture painted by the Parliament's decision is a grim reminder of the political obstacles we face. While Iraqi leaders rest, American troops continue to fight – and die – in the stifling, mid-summer heat.

It would not be entirely accurate, however, to attribute the Parliament's inaction to indifference. The Iraqis certainly have as much to lose by failure as do we.

The picture coming out of Bagdad seems to be that the Prime Minister has been unable to forge a commitment to compromise within his own ruling coalition. The result of that failure — stalemate.

The September 15 deadline for congressional evaluation of the President's "surge" strategy is less than six weeks away. The unwillingness or inability of the Iraqi's governing coalition to take the actions necessary for peace reveals a fundamental flaw in the Bush Administration's strategy.

Peace and stability in Iraq cannot be imposed from Washington – unless we are prepared to sacrifice and die there for another decade.

America's overreaching security interests do not permit that course. The Bush Administration's Iraq adventure is distracting us from the larger struggle against international terrorism. It is weakening us in the eyes of the world and destroying the fiber of our military.

It is time to change course.

That is why I have joined with 69 of my House colleagues to send President Bush this message: "We will only support appropriating additional funds for U.S. military operations in Iraq during Fiscal Year 2008 and beyond for the protection and safe redeployment of all our troops out of Iraq before you leave office."

Our determination to end America's military occupation of Iraq does not mean that we are blind to the requirements of our national security – or to our moral obligations to the Iraqi people. To the contrary, both our national interest and our values as a people argue strongly for a continuing, more effective U.S. role in the Middle East.

The congressional debate in the months to come will define the precise scope of that mission. We must be clear about both our objectives and the challenges that we face.

First, despite assertions to the contrary, Iraq is the "central front in our struggle against terrorism" only if we allow it to be. A stronger case can be made for giving priority to the fight in Afghanistan and to better securing America at home.

Second, our national interest and values demand that we continue to do all that we can to avoid genocide in Iraq – or the expansion of the sectarian conflict there into a regional war.

Third, from my service on the House Armed Services Committee, I realize that our military forces cannot sustain the occupation of Iraq for much longer without suffering serious (and, possibly, long-term) harm.

We also must think clearly and carefully about the logistical challenges of safely redeploying our troops out of Iraq – a process that could take up to 2 years, even if begun today.

In this context, the Congress must consider what America's policy alternatives will be if (as now seems likely) General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker give us a sobering progress report on September 15.

Some anticipate that the Administration will react by proposing a modified, "post-surge" plan with a reduced number of American troops. David Sanger and Thom Shanker reported in a July 12 New York Times article that this ". . . narrower mission would focus . . . on training Iraqi forces, assuring Iraq's territorial integrity, deterring Iran from seeking to extend its influence in Iraq and preventing Iraq from becoming . . . a terrorist haven."

These are important objectives – national security challenges that we cannot ignore. Yet, it is not entirely clear how such an ambitious plan could be accomplished with a reduced American military presence.

What is clear is that adoption of such a plan could require U.S. military engagement in Iraq for years to come.

These are some of the more important reasons why Congress and the President must send the Iraqi Parliament a clear, bipartisan political message: "It is time to get back to work and adopt the measures that are essential for security and peace."

We must change course in Iraq – but bringing about that change in a manner consistent with our shared national interests and morality will not be easy.

If we are to succeed, we must first master the politics of peace.

- The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings represents the 7th Congressional District of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives.