Friday, July 18, 2008
Editorial: The war we have to win
Obama, McCain clash on Iraq and Afghanistan. Americans will have a clear choice on the issue when they vote in November.
From the RoundTable blog
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Sen. John McCain got one thing right in his critique of Sen. Barack Obama's policy on Iraq: It would have been better for Obama to wait until after his fact-finding mission to Iraq to reiterate his commitment to pulling troops out within 16 months of taking office.
"In my experience, fact-finding missions usually work best the other way around: first you assess the facts on the ground, then you present a new strategy," McCain said in response to Obama's foreign policy speech Tuesday.
Beyond that, however, Obama clearly was correct in his call for a renewed focus on Afghanistan -- so correct, in fact, that McCain is even coming around and promising to send more troops to Afghanistan.
McCain initially opposed that idea, and belittled Obama for suggesting it.
"To somehow think that it's an either/or situation -- either Afghanistan or Iraq -- is a fundamental misreading of the situation in the Middle East," McCain said.
But, in fact, when it comes to deploying troops, it is an either/or situation, as Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen noted days before McCain's statement.
"I don't have troops I can reach for, brigades I can reach to send into Afghanistan until I have a reduced requirement in Iraq," Mullen said.
As much as the situation in Iraq has improved, the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated. NATO and U.S. forces surrendered a remote base after an attack killed nine soldiers, and coalition monthly casualties in Afghanistan topped the number of casualties in Iraq for the first time in June.
The Taliban is regrouping, and al-Qaida has established a safe haven in Pakistan's lawless tribal regions.
It is tempting but pointless to once more bemoan the fact that a war of choice in Iraq distracted this nation from the battle against those who attacked us on 9/11.
But, as Obama said, the improvement in Iraq presents an opportunity to refocus on the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan -- the war Obama rightly says "we have to win."
Obama countered McCain's notion that the success of the surge argues for backing off a commitment to draw down troops. "In the 18 months since the surge began, the strain on our military has increased, our troops and their families have borne an enormous burden, and American taxpayers have spent another $200 billion in Iraq," Obama said.
Sooner, rather than later, America needs to decide when it can leave. "Iraq is not going to be a perfect place," Obama said. "And we do not have unlimited resources to try to make it one. That's why the accusation of surrender is false rhetoric to justify a failed policy."
McCain wants a permanent American troop presence in Iraq. Obama doesn't believe that is sustainable and would divert resources desperately needed to win the real war against terror.
Americans will have a clear choice on this issue when they vote in November.
