Monday, September 10, 2007

Re: Re: Ackerman and Andy and Drawdown   [Andy McCarthy]

Kate and Rich, with (enormously) due respect, the central problem in the war and the central problem in Iraq is Iran ... next door to Iraq.  That was the unmistakable thrust of Gen. Petraeus's testimony, which included the following: 

In the past six months we have also targeted Shia militia extremists, capturing a number of senior leaders and fighters, as well as the deputy commander of Lebanese Hezbollah Department 2800, the organization created to support the training, arming, funding, and, in some cases, direction of the militia extremists by the Iranian Republican Guard Corps’ Qods Force. These elements have assassinated and kidnapped Iraqi governmental leaders, killed and wounded our soldiers with advanced explosive devices provided by Iran, and indiscriminately rocketed civilians in the International Zone and elsewhere. It is increasingly apparent to both Coalition and Iraqi leaders that Iran, through the use of the Qods Force, seeks to turn the Iraqi Special Groups into a Hezbollah-like force to serve its interests and fight a proxy war against the Iraqi state and coalition forces in Iraq.

Now, let's assume just for argument's sake something that is demonstrably not true:  namely, that the war against radical Islam could be won in the Iraq theater.  (Compare Gen. Petraeus testimony:  “We cannot win Iraq solely in Iraq.”)  Petraeus is saying — aptly — that the challenge of Iran is getting worse even as the security situation in Iraq improves.  That is, however much success we are having against al Qaeda in Iraq, the Iran problem is getting worse.

Iran is the catalyst of terror not only in Iraq but well beyond.  The national security of the United States is primarily about winning the overall war on terror, not stabilizing Iraq.  We have 160,000 troops on Iran's doorstep, and yet Iran provokes.  Regardless of whether the tune is being called by politics, the Joint Chiefs, the President, or the man on the moon, how does it help us suppress Iran, or win the overall war, to draw down our troops in Iraq while Iran is unaddressed? 

On Sept. 20, 2001, President Bush said: 

Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.  From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.

It's bad enough that we have essentially told the mullahs that their own territory is safe — we will only attack their forces in Iraq if we happen to catch them in Iraq (notwithstanding that they are training those forces in Iran — where they also harbor al Qaeda while building nukes).  Are we really regarding the mullahs "as a hostile regime" if we plan to reduce the forces arrayed on their doorstep at the very time General Petraeus says it is "increasingly apparent" their hostile activities are continuing?

09/10 07:21 PMShare