A disturbing milestone was reached last week as the American combat death toll in Iraq surpassed the number killed in action during \major combat operations,"" when President Bush declcared an end to major hostilities.
May 1, President Bush stood confidently on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln under a red, white and blue sign proclaiming, ""MISSION ACCOMPLISHED."" He gushed, ""In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."" And at that moment, many of us believed him. But the troubles were just beginning for our troops, our country and the people of Iraq. Mr. President, you spoke too soon.
We have now lost 259 troops in the entire operation and thousands of Iraqis have been killed. Recently released numbers from the Congressional Budget Office indicate that the deficit for this year will be at least $480 billion, up from Bush administration estimates of $401 billion earlier in the year due to war spending and Bush's tax cuts. Iraq is costing us $4 billion every month and the oil revenues and outside financial support that we expected to foot the bill have been absent.
The relative peace between the main religious and political factions Bin Iraq is in desperate danger of collapsing into a civil war. Iraqis who were at first supportive of U.S. efforts are now turning against us as security, services and democracy fail to appear as promised. Anti-Americanism worldwide is at an all -time high, and calls for jihad against America in extremist Muslim circles are louder than ever. Sadam Hussein is still on the loose, despite the killing of his sons and capture of many of his key leaders. And, the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and ties to al Qaeda that were the primary reasons for war have failed to surface.
But at this critical juncture, we cannot pack up and leave. What we need is an overhaul of the current doctrine. Unilateralism and insistence on U.S. sovereignty over Iraq need to go. With those obstacles out of the way, international forces with the blessing of the United Nations can move in to take on some of the military and financial burden. This change would bring a greater sense of credibility to the mission and garner respect internationally and from the Iraqi people. Even with international help, achieving success will be a long and difficult process, but outside help will go a long way in improving our chances.
President Bush and company need to embrace policies that will truly benefit Iraq. We do not need to have the wool pulled over our eyes any longer by this administration with their underestimation of costs, exaggerated threats and policies driven by blind fear.
Mission Accomplished? I do not think so, at least not yet. But with the right policy and a lot of luck, we may be able create a stable, sovereign democratic government in Iraq that is capable of taking care of its people while respecting their cultural heritage. But we can not do it alone. And for now, hold your horses, George.
