Today is the first day that no American troops are patrolling Iraqi cities. We've withdrawn, or in GOP parlance, retreated. Shouldn't this be a bigger deal? I always figured this would be -- well, an enormous thing. I pictured a speech from the president, sitting in the Oval Office, red tie, very serious, an Abe Lincoln bust in the background lending further gravitas as the president told us today was a day to feel confident but not over-confident, to celebrate the new-found "freedom" of the Iraqi people while also understanding we have a long road ahead, to boldy go where... Oh. Wait. We've been here before.As has been the case in every instance so far, whatever seems like a big milestone in Iraq inevitably is not; now, everyone's saying the parliamentary elections in January will be "the big test." When the Status of Forces Agreement was signed, this seemed like the big deadline. Before that, it was the provincial elections. Before that, it was getting SOFA signed. Before that... the U.S. election. Before that...
It's no wonder that deadlines can blow past with little celebration, then, because they seem to mean almost nothing. Sure, American troops are out of the cities -- but there are still about 130,000 of them operating in the beltways around those same cities, patrolling, observing, defending, and probably offending. Even if Prime Minister al-Maliki managed to claim all credit for full Iraqi sovereignty yesterday, we're still in very dangerous, very we-broke-it-we-own-it territory in Iraq. That's not going to change for a while.
What Americans seem to be looking for is a time when we'll be back at the place we started: no troops in country, Iraq functioning as its own state. Even if Barack Obama nailed down a date right now -- even if he said we're leaving tomorrow -- I wouldn't believe him. I wouldn't believe God himself on this one. If major violence erupts in Baghdad, or Fallujah, or Basra province in two months, SOFA be damned -- we're still there. No one trusts these deadlines, and there's no real reason they should.
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Catherine Forsythe
Writer to the Stars
Emily Holleman
Iron Skillet
Leslie Harpole
old new lefty
Salon.com
Comments
I’m tempted to believe that deadlines are, in large, a form of appeasement used by people in political office who are involved in setting them.
To others, like our President, I hope they are also a statement of good faith intent. But good intentions do not grant the assurance of good conclusions nor lasting resolutions.
There was some genuine celebrating after the announcement however. It was by the Iraqi people. Those shown celebrating seemed thrilled that we would be leaving their country.
Those celebrations reveal the volatile nature of occupation and planned withdrawal. Not everyone is happy for the same reasons - nor at the same time.
Rated and appreciated as always.
And yes, we will be there for a long long while thank you very much BushCo. Makes my blood boil for all the billions that could have gone to schools and health care instead of a preemptive war built on lies. And there's not any cost that can calculate a life lost, Iraqi or American. If there is a hell, Bush ought to be there.
Thanks for this post Saturn, though it makes me angry.
We'll build bases in The United States of Iraq. That way, when Tehran erupts in its Islamic chaos, we're already there. If, excuse me WHEN Afghanistan blows up again, we're already there and Tehran better not complain one bit about us using their air space to get to Afghanistan, or we'll lob a few tomahawks their way.
Oh shit, I didn’t realize those tomahawks were loaded with nukes.
And when Syria acts up again, we’re there, Lebanon, well we’ll just starve some more Lebanese so they overthrow their government (what government?) And all the other hot spots – Somalia and their pirates, Sudan and if Moammar Gadhafi ever grows his balls again, we’re there in a heartbeat.
But forget about the poor souls of Darfur, Somlia, Chad, etc….. They’re just cannon fodder to give us a pretense for staying in Iraq and that is that.
Goodnight Chet. Goodnight David.
Another factor that I don't see much written about is the number of contracted personnel working on U.S. funded "projects" in Iraq. In early 2008 The Christian Science Monitor estimated the number at 190,000. Last night on MSNBC they provided a troop figure of 140,000+ and contracted personnel at about 125,000+. This ratio of about 1:1.
Using contracted personnel is not new of course, but this war is a big business. All of the contracted operations also require contracted security. It would be interesting to know if they are all supposedly out of the urban areas as well. Don't hold your breath.
And we'll keep looking for that a long time to come, maybe indefinitely.
"If major violence erupts in Baghdad, or Fallujah, or Basra province in two months, SOFA be damned -- we're still there. No one trusts these deadlines, and there's no real reason they should."
There's certainly a tacit understanding between us and the Iraqis that if a situation develops which they can't handle, we'll rush in immediately and pluck their chestnuts out of the fire. Oh the joys and perquisites of Empire:)
Dennis, bbd, I didn't mean to imply it wasn't a big deal to Iraqis, because I'm sure it is. I distrust the reports of celebration, though, because they all seem mixed with reports of deep skepticism and fear on the parts of the citizenry, and... well, I don't think Western media has ever done a good job of accurately capturing Iraqi sentiment. But I weep for the opportunities lost, and lives lost, too.
Boomer -- that's a terribly cynical take, but frightening in its possibility.
Mother, I want to share your optimism, really. I do. And I agree now it's about accountability.
Grif -- contracted personnel scares me in many, many ways. The legacy of our mercenaries in Iraq will be with us, and them, for a very, very long time, I fear. They have much to gain in staying longer. And I don't know why those numbers don't show up more in reports -- I'm guilty of this too, though Blackwater is never far from my mind when thinking of Iraq.
Nanatehay -- Empire. Exactly. I shudder at the word even as I recognize its accuracy.
Thanks, all, for the comments so far. Sorry I'm slow on the reply -- summer, I guess, is what I'll blame.
@ Saturn, well said. I spent some time in Iraq and I'll believe the draw down when I see it. This is one step of many on a road that we've been walking down since last summer, and it's a pretty monumental one, though. It's a big deal for the guys that were patrolling those streets (and still are: there are still plenty of soldiers embedded with the Iraqis who still are walking those roads).
James Fallows wrote a great article in the Atlantic Monthly about three years ago where he said we win the war on terror by saying we won. I think we're doing that and I think it's smart.
I cut our government absolutely NO slack when it comes to evil deeds and the more I read of what they do, the stronger that cynicism becomes. In fact, I can't think of a government in the world that deserves slack.
On the brighter side, casualties could stay at low levels, and the troops do have to be somewhere.