Editorial: Reaching a critical juncture

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003 | 9:06 a.m.

Congress took the right step Monday when it approved nearly all of President Bush's $87.5 billion request for Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of the money, almost $65 billion, will be used by the military in Iraq. The most controversial portion of the package, an $18.6 billion grant to rebuild Iraq's economy and infrastructure, stayed intact. Iraq's economy is in shambles, and its oil production has been severely hampered by terrorist attacks, so to have required the $18.6 billion to be repaid as a loan, as many Democrats and some Republicans had suggested, would have been a mistake. Adding on even more debt could seriously damage Iraq economically for years, something not in the best interest of the United States. Non-democratic forces -- Saddam loyalists and non-Iraq terrorists in that country -- would have taken further advantage of a deteriorating economic situation.

There was considerable opposition to the war before it began, and as the war has resulted in increased casualties to U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians, the opponents' criticisms have gained strength by the lack of progress in Iraq. The past week has been a terrible one, especially Sunday, which saw the single deadliest attack against Americans in the war, with 16 Americans killed and 21 wounded when insurgents shot down a U.S. transport helicopter flying near Baghdad. Critics of the war have pointed out that no weapons of mass destruction have been discovered, either, which was a pretext for the U.S. invading Iraq.

Opponents of the U.S. occupation have been helped by no less than the Bush administration, which before the war offered a rosy assessment that we'd be greeted as liberators. Sure, there have been positive developments in Iraq, but there also have been grave setbacks. Even as events in Iraq turned worse, the administration refused to admit they underestimated the resistance that would follow. The White House hasn't helped itself by being dismissive of the views of members of Congress, including some moderate Republicans, that more troops are necessary to provide greater security. Meanwhile, Republican leaders who control Congress should be diligent in making sure that the funding they've just appropriated is used wisely. What we need going forward is an honest appraisal of the war, minus the partisan cheerleading and partisan sniping.

We've reached a critical point in the war. Whatever one's view on the merits of invading Iraq, we're there now and we need to construct a strategy that not only protects our troops but also sets up a functioning Iraqi society so that we can leave there as soon as is feasible.