Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District
Issues
Iraq
Congress must insist on new course
Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
29 November 2005
By U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, guest columnist
Though I strongly and vocally opposed the invasion of Iraq, I went there last week to thank hardworking American soldiers, take stock of the current situation and focus on the challenge of today -- crafting a new strategy for transitioning power and bringing our troops home.
We need a fundamental shift in policy. The president has told us to "stay the course." This course has resulted in an increasingly bloody insurgency and a steady toll of American lives. Continuing on this path and expecting a different result is naïve and irresponsible.
From Baghdad to Tikrit and Mosul to Balad, the message from U.S. military leaders and Iraqi officials was the same; the insurgency continues to prevent the growth of a secure, civil society. It is the time to accept the fundamental psychological force that fuels this insurgency is the presence of 160,000 foreign troops on the streets of the Sunni Triangle.
In a briefing, Gen. George Casey, commander of multinational forces in Iraq, said only a small segment of the insurgency consists of al-Qaida members and Baathist diehards. The vast majority of insurgents are what he termed "rejectionists" -- Iraqis who refuse to buy into the political process out of a combination of economic discontent and anger at the presence of our troops on their soil. These rejectionists can be weaned from the insurgency but not while they believe Americans will stay on their street corners forever.
We need to break the back of the emotional mainspring of the insurgency by making clear to the Iraqis that the day is coming when we will leave. In fact, Iraqi leaders just asked us to set a schedule for transferring responsibility of the nation's security during their meeting in Cairo.
This request should be honored because it's the right and strategically sound thing to do. When Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds know they can't rely on the United States to provide security, they'll have a greater incentive to strike the compromises necessary to form a stable government.
To those who would argue this tactic somehow will increase the number of 19-year-old Iraqis eager to plant roadside bombs, we only can ask this: What makes that young man angrier? The humiliating presence of a foreign army in his front yard with no end in sight, or hearing that Americans set a timetable for redeployment?
A reasonable timetable to start withdrawing troops is after the upcoming Iraqi elections this December. And transitioning fighting responsibilities will take about one year -- that's when Army Gen. Martin Dempsey said Iraqi security forces are scheduled to be fully trained.
During this time, the materiel capacity of Iraqi security forces also must be improved. They need compatible radios, body armor, a medical system and logistical support. The head of Iraqi special forces asked us to help them, echoing Churchill's plea: "Give us the tools, and we will finish the job." And the United States also should maintain a rapid-response team in Kuwait.
It's high time we changed course in Iraq. We should assure the Iraqis we will not be there indefinitely and take steps to replace our troops with an adequately equipped Iraqi defense force. Congress must step up to the plate and insist on these major changes in our policy on Iraq.
Jay Inslee, D-Wash., represents the 1st Congressional District.