STORM2K

Exit Strategy
Bush, Berlusconi and Blair now in serious political difficulty

Not a day passes without someone in London of Washington announcing, denying, or putting a little more spin on the hypothetical withdrawal of troops from Iraq. It is likely that this confused sequence of contradictory statements is masking above all the embarrassment of the two governments. Mr. Bush must avoid the presidential elections coinciding with an insurrection. Mr. Blair is hounded by an aggrieved public opinion, and the part of the Labor party that never tires of rebuking him for his half-truths on the eve of the war, and for his over-acquiescent pro-American policy. Mr. Bush still has the approval of part of the nation, and will remain in the White House until November, whatever happens. But Tony Blair risks becoming the victim of a "night of the long knives," like the ones that swept aside Anthony Eden in 1956 and Margaret Thatcher in 1990. Both Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair urgently need to reassure their fellow citizens.

They need to show that they can handle events, and are perfectly capable of adapting their plans to circumstances. In contrast to what would have occurred in other countries, especially in Europe, Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair's societies understand and accept the troops' sacrifice. But they will not tolerate a purposeless war that has already demolished all the plans of recent months, from the reconstruction of Iraq using oil revenue to the creation of a democratic regime. Much of what has been said, or implied, in London and Washington in recent hours responds to the need to show that the occupation will come to an end, and the problems will be solved before then. Is this promise a convincing one? To leave Iraq without it collapsing into civil war, the United States and Great Britain must fulfil at least two conditions. A competent, authoritative Iraqi government, manifestly free to make independent decisions, is the first. The other is Iraqi military and police forces that can cool hotbeds of rebellion and impose order. Leaving Iraq without accomplishing these objectives would be political suicide for Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair. Will they manage to pull it off in a few months? Will they be able to accomplish now, in the midst of a crisis, what they failed to achieve in more favorable circumstances?

This is the situation that the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, will find in Washington today. He is himself in comparable, albeit slightly different, circumstances to those of the British premier. Italian public opinion is opposed to the war. Mr. Berlusconi's coalition, like Mr. Blair's party, is starting to creak. The Italian contingent is smaller than the British one, but over its presence hangs the ambivalence of a "humanitarian mission" that has never really got under way, and which seems to restrict the contingent's operational capacity when combat is required. Just as Mr. Blair needs to find a way out of the quagmire, so too Mr. Berlusconi is searching for an exit. He is probably hoping to find it in Washington with Mr. Bush. But I hope he is not nurturing too many illusions. He may discover that the American president and the British premier are destined to stay in Iraq for much longer than the Italian government is prepared to tolerate.

By Sergio Romano http://www.corriere.it

leaders lead
cowards take payoffs from saddam.

the fact is these 3 brave men stood up for what is right, against france, germany, and russia who we now know were on saddams payroll. leaders do what is right despite the consequences to themselves. if these 3 brave men lose, it will only be a victory for terror. i believe we are at a turning point in history. cut and run and islamo-fascism will continue to spread, and they wont stop because we give up. what happened to nick berg is what they want to to you and me as well.
as far as exit strategy it should be unconditional victory.
thats the only exit strategy you should have in war.

"leaders do what is right despite the consequences to themselves" qtd by Helen. Exactly!

"as far as exit strategy it should be unconditional victory. thats the only exit strategy you should have in war" qtd by Helen. Exactly again!

...Jennifer...

mrschad wrote:"leaders do what is right despite the consequences to themselves" qtd by Helen. Exactly!

"as far as exit strategy it should be unconditional victory. thats the only exit strategy you should have in war" qtd by Helen. Exactly again!

...Jennifer...

thanks!!

dittos Helen.

Our second great commitment in Iraq is to transfer sovereignty to an Iraqi government as quickly as possible. Decades of oppression destroyed every free institution in Iraq, but not the desire to live in freedom. Like any proud country, the Iraqi people want their independence. The Iraqi people need to know that our coalition is fully committed to their independence, and we're fully committed to their national dignity. This is a reason the June 30th transfer of sovereignty is vital. The Iraqi people, and men and women across the Middle East, are watching closely, and they will see America keep its word.

The United Nations special envoy, Mr. Brahimi, is now back in Iraq, consulting with diverse groups of Iraqis. In the next few weeks, important decisions will be made on the make up of the interim government. As of June 30th, Iraq's interim government will assume duties now performed by the coalition, such as providing water and electricity and health care and education. A key strategic goal of our coalition is to help build a new Iraqi army and civil defense corps and police force and facilities protection service, and a border guard capable of defending and securing the country.

Major General Dave Petraeus, who commanded the 101st Airborne in Iraq, has returned to oversee the training and equipping of these all-Iraqi forces. Once constituted, they will protect a free Iraq from external aggression and internal subversion. Yet, the vital mission of our military in helping to provide security will continue on July 1st and beyond. Having brought freedom to Iraq, America will make sure that freedom succeeds in Iraq, a nation we will be proud to call a friend and partner in the pursuit of peace.

Pres. George Bush - Press Conference- Pentagon -05/10/2004

Sounds like a committment to stay as long as needed to me.

Politically some darkening days for those three leaders. Morally, they are on mirrored paths that recognize that retreat and withdrawal don't just bring us back to zero...a new starting point, but instead move the weight of that pendulum much in the favor of more terror, more hatred, and more anger than anything we have thus far stirred.

The exit strategy needs to be the same if all three of those world-class people find themselves on the short end of public support. The leaders who would follow will recognize the same.

I think we should play up to our advantage that we don't know how to treat prisoners properly and as we can't kill them all everytime while still on the battlefield will therefore likely have to take some more and we find ouselves with no choice But to leave as demonstration of we do know the humane thing to do.