As Barack Obama traverses the Middle East and Europe, there has been a lot of talk back home about the effectiveness of the surge and what it means to presidential politics. If you will indulge me, I would like to share with you my views as to why the surge alone has been ineffective and why Obama must continue to fight the media narrative about the surge.
When the troop surge was implemented in June of 2007, its goal was to mitigate violence in order for the Iraqi political structure to take hold. Eighteen months later, presumptive republican nominee John McCain has declared the surge a success and the media has followed suit. In John McCain and President Bush's eyes and what they want the media and public to believe is that the "temporary" troop increase is responsible for reduced violence in Iraq. They want us to focus on the conditions in Iraq today rather than the misleading intelligence that led us to war in the first place, rather than the woefully inadequate number of troops we entered Iraq with, rather than the failures of the administration to secure weapons caches and public works facilities early on in the war, rather than the 4,000+ dead brave men and women of our armed forces and rather then the complete failure of the administration to recognize the potential backlash among the Iraq population when faced with a permanent U.S. presence on their sovereign soil. The gall this administration and John McCain have in trying to convince the American people to ignore the countless errors in judgment that have led to the NEED for the surge is remarkable. All they want you to focus on is the reduced violence in Iraq in the last few months. Well, lets focus on that then shall we?
The surge did not occur in a vacuum like John McCain and the administration want you to believe. There have been a whole host of factors that have led to the decreased violence in Iraq and arguably the surge was the least helpful of those factors. Before the surge even began, Iraq was experiencing what is being labeled as the "Sunni Awakening". This "awakening" was not a product of American force but a concerted effort of Anbar tribes, working together to oppose the insurgency and Al-Queda. The surge occurred after the beginning of this awakening and actually sought to capitalize on it. Later that year, after the surge had been implemented, American forces began paying Iraq insurgents to fight for us and not against us. Next we had a series of cease-fires ordered by anti-American radical Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr. Al-Sadr has made it his mission to destroy the American occupiers and he commands thousands of armed soldiers. The American government appeased Al-Sadr by promising to stop targeting Al-Sadr and his men for assassination. Finally, we have the administration's ignoring of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan which has prompted a resurgence of the Taliban and Al-Queda. The failure of the Bush administration to squash the remaining Taliban and Al-Queda and concentrating more resources to Iraq that should have gone to Afghanistan has caused an escalation in violence in the country. Al-Queda members and leaders have regrouped along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border and have almost totally abandoned their Iraq bases. So in addition to the surge of about 15% more troops, there was a major awakening among Sunni tribes, we began paying Iraq insurgents to stop killing American soldiers, Muqtada Al-Sadr declared a cease-fire and we allowed Al-Queda to flee the country and set up shop in Afghanistan. Claiming the surge, alone, accomplished anything is just not supported by the facts.
John McCain has been hammering Barack Obama for not admitting the surge has worked but Obama has stood his ground and rightfully so. To state that the surge is the reason for reduced violence in Iraq would be disingenuous and that is one thing our nominee is not. Barack will continue to be forced in to a corner by network news anchors, McCain surrogates and most likely debate moderators. My hope is he explains the truth behind the surge which I know he is apt to do.
As only a candidate for congress I have little sway in pushing the media narrative but that will not stop me from speaking out. And if I have the honor of representing Florida's 10th district, nothing will stop me from bringing this to the attention of the American people and making sure we concentrate on the true front on the war on terror, the war in Afghanistan. The Bush administration and John McCain like to talk about staying in Iraq in order to assure victory, yet they were the first ones to advocate moving troops and valuable resources from the war in Afghanistan to Iraq, before the war was won. That, my friends, is NOT judgment you can believe in.
Bob Hackworth
Democratic Candidate - FL-10
http://www.bobhackworth.com
http://www.actblue.com/...