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Rethinking Iraq Sooner or Later? Later.By Rick Horowitz
You want impressive? Tracking down and blowing up Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is impressive. You want impressive? That secret flight to Baghdad to meet with the new Iraqi government is impressive. You want even more impressive? Coming back from the secret flight to Baghdad just spilling over with ideas to help put Iraq back on its feet is even more impressive. He may have been jet-lagged -- and who could blame him? -- but the Leader of the Free World was running on all cylinders when he met the press in the Rose Garden on Wednesday morning. Looking Prime Minister al-Maliki in the eye must have agreed with him; George Bush hit the lectern with the energy of a man who knows how to grab the main chance.
All in all, the president's appearance may turn out to be one of the truly memorable moments of 2003. Unfortunately, it's 2006. It hasn't been 2003 for a while now. "Part of the prime minister's plan is to improve the Iraqi judicial system," the president announced on Wednesday. "And to assist him, I've directed the attorney general and the secretaries of state and defense to work together on a new rule of law initiative." That was hardly the president's only move. "I've directed our secretary of treasury and the Treasury Department to send teams of experts to Iraq to help the government create a public finance system that is accountable and transparent. These advisers will help Iraqis develop an economic framework that promotes growth and job creation and opportunity." The prime minister, the president explained, "understands that the people have got to feel benefits from the new government. I mean, it's a simple concept, but it's a profound one." Want more? Here's more. "I've directed the secretaries of commerce and agriculture to travel to Iraq as soon as possible to meet with their counterparts." And for that matter... "I've directed the secretary of energy to travel to Iraq to meet with his counterpart and identify ways we can provide additional support." George W. Bush, Director in Chief. (And here you thought he was satisfied with Decider.) So you look at him and you listen to him and you want to say, "Way to go, Mr. President!" But first you want to say, "What took you so long?" What took him so long, that is, to come to grips with the idea that invading Iraq isn't the same as playing Capture the Flag, or even Topple the Dictator. To understand that there's lots more to producing "Iraqi Freedom" than knocking down a few statues. That it would take more than soldiers -- ours or theirs -- to put a country like Iraq back together. It would take -- perish the thought -- planning! And it's not as if there weren't people doing precisely that kind of planning before the invasion -- back in 2003, and even earlier. There were people, outside the government and even inside the government (do the words "State Department" ring a bell?), who'd been through this kind of thing before in other parts of the world. Who were urging the president and his key advisers to take a more comprehensive approach to rebuilding Iraq. Who were offering their time and their expertise to help make it happen before disorder became the order of the day. Before an insurgency could gain deadly traction. They were ignored. Shut out. The president and his tight little circle didn't need advice. They already knew everything they needed to know -- until it became clear that they didn't have a clue. So now -- three years later, in 2006 -- the light bulb finally comes on. They've run through all their other options, and they're reaching out. When it's almost too late to do anything about it, they're almost ready to admit that they've made a hash of things. That they could use some help. It's about time. I mean, it's a simple concept, but it's a profound one. Posted 6/17/06. Get the word out: Click
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Rick Horowitz
