Editorial: Strategy is failing in Iraq

Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006 | 7:53 a.m.

P resident Bush as much as admitted that his strategy in Iraq is failing when, on July 26, he authorized the involuntary mobilization of Marine Corps Reserves. It didn't take Marine commanders long to seize the opportunity. The word went out on Tuesday that the service is preparing to recall thousands of its troops, in batches of up to 2,500 at a time, over the next several years.

The recall would not be necessary if Bush's main strategy in Iraq was meeting with success. Last year, on June 28, during a speech at Fort Bragg, N.C., Bush succinctly summarized that strategy.

"As we pursue the terrorists, our military is helping to train Iraqi security forces so that they can defend their people and fight the enemy on their own," Bush said. "Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down."

As much as Bush criticizes members of Congress and other critics who say a phased withdrawal from Iraq is necessary, his own strategy embraces the concept. He has said it repeatedly, that as Iraqi forces become capable, our forces will begin leaving.

In the weeks following that speech, Bush talked optimistically about this strategy.

In his Jan. 31 State of the Union speech, he spoke of decreasing U.S. troop levels as Iraqi forces "increasingly take the lead." All through last fall and early this year, in fact, the talk emanating from the Pentagon and high administration offices was of substantially reducing U.S. presence by mid-2006, to possibly as low as 80,000 troops.

Well, it's past mid-2006 and we have 138,000 troops in Iraq.

We have a recall of Marine reservists. We have our troops' tours of duty in Iraq being extended well past their departure dates. And we have violence in Iraq escalating well beyond the ability of even our own troops, let alone any Iraqi security forces, to contain it.

If Bush's main strategy - training Iraqis to defend their own country - were working, there would be no need for recalling reservists. Tens of thousands of our troops would be returning from Iraq, available, after a rest, for other assignments in the war on terrorism.

A CBS/New York Times poll released this week shows that only three of every 10 Americans approve of how Bush is handling the war. If victory is to be achieved in Iraq, Bush has got to stop demonizing his critics, especially congressional Democrats, who offer alternative strategies. For us to start winning, he needs to start listening.