'Just World News' with Helena Cobban

Former CIA director calls for Iraq withdrawal

I guess I missed this news item when it happened, back on June 7. Speaking at Harvard, former CIA Director John Deutch,

challenged the views of both Republicans and Democrats who say that the United States must stay the course to stabilize the country before disengaging.

That position, Deutch said, is based on the assumption that the United States will leave a stable nation behind. But it is also possible, he said, that the United States will fail in its Iraq objectives and lose international credibility by staying the course, even as its ability to deal with other crises, such as North Korea, Iran, and the fight against international terrorism, is compromised.

"I believe that we are not making progress on our key objectives in Iraq," Deutch said. "There may be days when security seems somewhat improved and when the Iraqi government appears to be functioning better, but the underlying destabilizing forces of a robust insurgency and warring factions supported by outside governments is undiminished."

Deutch, a long-time strategic-affairs brainiac (and former MIT chemistry prof), was Clinton's CIA Director from May '95 thru December '96.

It would be great if his wisdom could be heard and widely advocated by the Democratic Party leadership in the country. (If such a thing still exists.) Hearing so many of them continuing to voice the Topm friedman/ Ken Pollack argument that US troop levels in Iraq should be increased makes me really depressed.

... By the way, re the "nattering nabobs..." That was the slur voiced by Spiro Agnew back in the early 1970s against those who said the Vietnam War was unwinnable. The line was written for him by his speechwriter Bill Safire. Yes, the Bill Safire who was still cluttering up the op-ed pages of various newspapers. until recently

But now, I think it may be time for those of us who are convinced that the US's position in Iraq is quite unwinnable to proudly reclaim the appellation. For my part, I am entirely negative on that score.

By contrast, though, I am quite positive about the opportunities in the five years ahead for the US citizenry to find a new and much healthier and more sustainable balance in its relations with the rest of the world. Let's go for it! The debate over the craziness of the Iraq war can be our opening!