Biden: Iraq Study Group report: Necessary, but not sufficient

[ProSense]

Iraq Study Group report: Necessary, but not sufficient

The Baker-Hamilton report is a first step toward a bipartisan way forward in Iraq. The fundamental changes it proposes are necessary, but not sufficient to achieve the objective most Americans share: to leave Iraq without leaving chaos behind.

The report's most valuable contribution is to make clear that staying the course in Iraq is not an option. Thanks to its efforts, the central question is no longer whether to stay in Iraq, but when and how to responsibly leave.

The military redeployment it proposes is not, by itself, a plan. But the knowledge that our troops will not stay in Iraq in these large numbers can help concentrate the Iraqis on the hard political decisions ahead.

We should start to bring our combat troops out in the first half of next year, but with no artificial end date. A residual force should remain, whose mission would be counterterrorism, training, logistics and force protection.

Even if it made strategic sense to keep 145,000 troops in Iraq beyond next year, we could not do so without damaging the military, including: sending soldiers back on third and fourth tours, extending deployment times from 12 to 18 months, ending the practice of a year at home between deployments, fully mobilizing the Guard and Reserves, and returning demobilized soldiers to Iraq through a backdoor draft.

The impact on retention and recruitment would be devastating.

more...

ISG report is a small step in the right direction. Still, Biden needs to lose the open-ended withdrawal talk and support a timetable.

[BeFree]

1. The Baked Ham report?

All political cover. Just something to protect the republican's backside. Ain't nothing gonna change.

A real report would have said to the Iraqis: Pull up your boostraps, the U.$.A. federal welfare is ending real soon. We're sorry we fucked up your country and yall should sue the pants off our asses. We're outta here!

[Warren Stupidity]

2. ISG: bullshit wrapped up in a nice official cover.

Episode IV A New Direction.

Recommendation 1: stay the course.

Recommendation 2: stay the course at least until 1-20-09.

Recommendation 3: everyone else stay away from our oil.

etc.

[jillan]

3. I think Biden is going to do a great job of being chair of

the Senate Foriegn Relations committee.

In fact, it is pretty exciting to think of all of the dems that are going to be heads of committees.

One thing I like about Biden is that he is not shy. He will get things done. And having Kerry and Feingold on that committee will make for some interesting discussions.

[Clarkie1]

4. Has he given up on his idea of partitioning?

Biden has lost a lot of foreign policy credibility, but at least he appears to be supporting the major findings of the report (one of which is idea of partitioning won't work).