A foremost recommendation of the Iraq Study Group urges the President to threaten the redeployment of most American troops unless Iraqi leaders commit themselves to a meaningful dialogue in furtherance of political reconciliation and compromise. President Bush's response? Stay the course.
According to Brian Knowlton of the New York Times, President Bush dismissed the possibility of "withdrawing most combat troops before their work is done, saying that if the United States fails to establish a stable and secure Iraq, it will haunt Americans for years."
(cross-post from Our Republic)
Former Secretary of State and Study Group Co-Chairman James Baker was not satisfied, as he made plain to the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
"I hope we don't treat this like a fruit salad and say, 'I like this, but I don't like that,' "These are interdependent recommendations we make."
Co-Chairman Lee Hamilton endorsed Baker's admonition and insisted that a one-dimensional approach to a multidimensional problem has not, and will not, curb the escalating secretarian violence, let alone stablize the country.
"If you think you can solve the problem of Iraq by manipulating the troop levels, I think you got it dead wrong. If you think you can solve the problem by economic reconstruction or political action, I think that's wrong, too," Hamilton said. "What has to be done is that all of the tools of American power have to be integrated carefully here - political, economic, military, for sure - and to use those effectively."
Meanwhile, the President shrouded arrogance in empty praise.
"He called the report 'very constructive' and 'worthy of study,' but said that neither Congress nor the administration would accept all of the panel’s proposals. His policy going forward, Mr. Bush reiterated, would rely not just on the study group’s recommendations but on those being formulated by the Pentagon, the State Department and the National Security Council."
In other words, the President wants second, third and fourth opinions from the very same people botched the mission. After nearly 4 years without a strategy, the notion that the Pentagon, State Department and NSC have something of value to contribute seems an unrealistic one.