Talking Point

The Bush administration sold a "surge" in the troop presence in Iraq on the premise that it would allow the Iraqi government to bridge divisions among its warring factions. But at a February 6, 2008, hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, both committee Chairman Carl Levin and ranking Republican John Warner concluded that the U.S.-backed government in Iraq has failed to do so, with Warner only mildly less critical than Levin.

As Levin put it, "It is long past time that the Iraqi leaders hear a clear simple message: We can't save them from themselves. It's in their hands, not ours, to create a nation by making the political compromises needed to end the conflict."

The United States needs leadership with the moral authority and a real willingness to work with other countries to help Iraq overcome its internal divisions and bring about a more stable, peaceful Middle East.

War is not the only answer. We need to rededicate ourselves to diplomacy, education, and economic development across the globe. These efforts are essential to re-establishing America’s good standing in the world and securing long-term security both at home and abroad.

We have to end the partisan politics around the war with al Qaeda. And we have to get serious about security at home. Let’s stop letting cronyism and corruption cripple this central task and invest the resources needed to secure our borders and our ports, to bolster our public health and first-responder capacities and to ensure that nuclear, chemical and other prime targets have adequate defense plans.

In Iraq, our troops are caught up in civil strife between rival Iraqi factions. Our decision to invade Iraq has divided us from our allies, and our presence in the country is fueling hatred of the United States in the Muslim world. We need to work with the international community to support stability in Iraq, but it is time for us to refocus on building a global alliance against al Qaeda and the fanatics committed to international terror.

Our soldiers rid Iraq of Saddam Hussein. The administration’s lethal incompetence and cronyism undermined any hope of a quick transition, but four years later, we’ve finally helped organize two elections and a constitution. Now Iraqis need to take control of their own destiny. A majority of Iraqis want us to begin withdrawing troops as does their new prime minister. It is time for us to go.

It is time to change course. Common sense, not ideological rigidity should guide us. Elements of a new policy are clear.

• Launch a crash drive for energy independence. Free us from our dependence on Persian Gulf oil, and end our support for repressive dictatorships like the Saudi’s that provide resources for Islamist extremism across the world.

• Isolate the terrorists, don’t inflate them. Focus on Bin Laden and the stateless terrorist cells. Isolate them from Muslim nationalism. Revive the global alliance andintelligence cooperation to amplify aggressive pursuit of known terrorists.

• End the occupation of Iraq which is weakening our military, isolating our nation, and generating recruits for al Qaeda throughout the Muslim world.

• Put the Iraqi leaders on notice. We’ve deposed Saddam Hussein, and provided more aid than that given to Europe in the Marshall Plan after World War II. It is time for them to decide between unity, federalism or civil war.

• Provide greater security here at home, implement the 9-11 Commission recommendations, stop cutting funds for first responders secure our ports, and ensure the police, fire and public health forces needed to respond effectively to terrorist attack or natural disaster.

• Make America a source of hope, not of hatred. Spread democracy by example, not by force of arms. Respect and champion human rights and the rule of law.

• Revive our leadership in emerging areas of common security threat – nuclear proliferation, catastrophic climate change, pandemics that threaten the globe.

In the hours after the horrific crime of September 11, 2001, Americans rallied as one and the world stood at our side.

Now, all that has changed. Americans are divided. Allies are alienated. The Muslim world’s fury has increased. Osama bin Laden is still at large. Terrorist acts are up across the world. Afghanistan is a mess. And U.S. troops are mired in an occupation amid a growing civil war in Iraq. We are more isolated, less respected and less safe.

In response, the Bush administration chose not to change course, but to rouse fears—worried more about saving the president's face than serving the nation's security.

It is time to stop fanning fears to cover up failure. It is time to change course.

The fiasco in Iraq is a direct consequence of catastrophic conservatism. There are four key factors that led to the conservative failure in Iraq.

• Conservatives undercut government. They rushed our troops to war, but skimped on the government planning, diplomacy and expertise needed to get the job done effectively.

• Conservatives displaced experts with zealots. Instead of sending experts on reconstruction, conservatives recruited ideologues who spurned allies, shut down "hearts and minds," and lost control of the country.

• Conservatives forced risky privatization. They outsourced core government functions to private contractors whose profit motives compromised troop security, eroded Iraqi trust, siphoned away taxpayer money, and failed to deliver results.

• Conservatives stifled accountability. They supported ideology over effectiveness, and repeatedly blocked efforts to investigate the pervasive waste, fraud, incompetence and abuse sabotaging the U.S. mission in Iraq.

Accountability, expertise, planning and good management are not partisan issues. But conservatives, blinded by their own ideological certitude, scorned even common sense.

That the Iraq war is a grave failure is inescapable. However, President Bush's lapdog conservatives in Congress have repeatedly chosen partisanship over patriotism, protecting the administration rather than the nation's security. The only question was how long conservatives could distract Americans from the consequences.