Don’t be misled by the outraged tone of Sen. Hillary Clinton‘s response to a top Pentagon aide who accused her of “reinforcing enemy propaganda” on Iraq. The Democratic presidential front-runner was handed a political opportunity – and is milking it for all it’s worth.
The fact is, Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman was on the mark in his attack. Asked by Clinton about plans for withdrawing troops from Iraq, he wrote in reply:
“Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia.”
It’s difficult to argue with that – especially the part about “public discussion.”
Indeed, as Edelman noted, “It is longstanding departmental policy that operational plans, including contingency plans, are not released outside of the department.” (And with good reason – given the likelihood that such plans would quickly find their way to the front page of The New York Times.)
Contingency plans exist, he noted, but publicly talking about them “understandably unnerves the very Iraqi allies we are asking to assume enormous personal risks.” Moreover, “fear of a precipitate U.S. withdrawal also exacerbates sectarian trends in Iraqi politics as factions become more concerned with achieving short-term tactical advantages rather than reaching long-term agreements.”
Clinton responded with a public display of mock outrage, insisting Defense Secretary Robert Gates declare whether he agrees with Edelman’s letter. Taken as a whole, it’s hard to see why Gates would take issue with it.
The focus in Washington should be on helping the troops – not on undermining their mission. President Bush made that clear yesterday when he called on Congress to “rise above partisanship, stand behind our troops . . . and give them everything they need to succeed” by passing the defense funding bill before summer recess.
“Failure in Iraq would send an unmistakable signal to America’s enemies that our country can be bullied into retreat,” he rightly noted. “America’s involvement in Iraq does not have to end this way.”
Words Clinton & Co. should heed.