I am tired of waiting for Democrats to articulate a forceful position on Iraq, so I've come up with one for them.
I believe Congressional Democrats should call on the President to resign.
Admittedly this sounds like a radical idea, so allow me to make the case.
As you know, when the President was asked recently if he could envision a day when our troops would leave Iraq, he said "That'll be decided by future presidents and future governments of Iraq." In short, the President does not believe it is his job to find a way to bring our troops home. What's more, he has failed time and again to produce a plan for victory in Iraq. He keeps saying "stay the course," but his "course" is to maintain the status quo.
Whatever one thinks of our reasons for getting into war, now that we are here it's the President's job to fix those mistakes and put us on the path to success. President Bush, by punting that problem to the next President, is refusing to do his job. He has abdicated his duty as Commander in Chief, and therefore he should resign.
In the wake of Abu Graib, Secretary Rumsfeld offered to resign. George Tenet resigned when the CIA's intelligence about Iraq was revealed to be false. Michael Brown also (finally) resigned after his failure to lead during the Katrina disaster. Offering to resign is the only honorable action to take when one has failed in their duties so completely.
This President launched a war based on false intelligence, failed to plan for the post-invasion period, and to this day has never introduced a strategy for success. What's worse, he takes no responsibility for the situation he created, saying he wants the next President to clean up his mess. This is inexcusable, and if he will not lead he should step aside and let someone else do so.
Besides being morally correct, there are several political advantages to this position. First, it puts the focus exactly where it belongs - on the President's failure to lead. Rather than suggesting "alternate" plans (which will only be ignored and criticized by the Administration and the media), or calling for censure/impeachment (which is both impossible given the current Congress and distasteful to many voters), this demands that the President justify his sorry performance, or step aside.
If it causes Congressional Republicans to flock to defend the President, all the better. Nothing would improve our fortunes in November like the GOP singing this President's praises.
This position also allows us to frame calls for withdrawal as the President's failure, not the country's. That is, if the President is unwilling either to lead or to resign, then no further American soldiers should die as a result of his inaction. A date must be set to bring the troops home as soon as possible.
The President has forced on us an impossible choice - leave Iraq now, or continue without a plan. Withdrawal is not the Democrat's preferable course of action, but Bush's negligence leaves us with no better option.
I welcome your comments.