Iraq Study Group

So the much anticipated Iraq Study Group (ISG) has issued its report. The latest can be found here at CNN:Iraq Study Group: Change Iraq strategy now or here at the BBC: Iraq Report is no magic formula

From a preliminary reading the report is a wholehearted condemnation of George Bush’s policy. It advocates three main lines of approach: 1] change the military mission to one of supporting the Iraqi army, rather than fighting the insurgency directly; 2] Urge the Iraqis to reconcile their sectarian based differences; and 3] Engage in diplomacy with Iraq’s neighbours especially Iran and Syria.

All three of these points have been leaked to the press for weeks so there is no surprise. But nevertheless they remain an indictment of Bush since he has rejected all three at least once over the past few years. Basically he is being told to start over, and to forget his old policy since it didn’t work.

What the ISG does not do is to present a withdrawal plan, or to offer any idea of hard and fast deadlines [other than to say that a staged withdrawal could begin in 2008 if everything went well].

Lee Hamliton, a member of the Group, says it best: “Our ship of state has hit rough waters – it must now chart a new way forward.” In other words: George was wrong.

The question is: will our Frat-Boy- in-Chief get the message, or will he prefer to let things muddle along in chaos so he can leave it to someone else to fix?

Let’s hope he finally “gets it”.