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February 3, 2005
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February 3, 2005 |
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EDITORIAL New day for Iraq, not for U.S. Much of the world is reveling in Sunday’s Iraqi election, praising the millions of Iraqis who braved threats and bombs and bullets to bring democracy to their country and elect a new government. Even the most ardent critics of President Bush and his decision to go to war should feel hopeful about the chance for a successful outcome in Iraq. But Sunday’s election does not change the course the United States took to arrive at this juncture, nor does it validate President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. Americans should not suddenly wake up and trust this president to be truthful about the war (or other policy decisions, for that matter). The successful election also does not alter how President Bush misled Americans on the reasons for going to war, and diminish how terribly the administration and Pentagon have botched the occupation. Whether Iraq has turned a corner is a tricky question. While the Iraqi people will soon have their first truly elected government in some 50 years, their troops will not magically be able to secure the country from insurgents. Much of Iraq remains lawless, where insurgents launch upwards of a hundred attacks a day on innocent Iraqis and American troops. American military personnel are still needed to keep the peace. Indeed on Tuesday the interim Iraqi president, Sheik Ghazi al-Yawar, said it would be “complete nonsense to ask the troops to leave in this chaos and this vacuum of power.” That means the body count of U.S. troops — now totaling more than 1,400 — will continue to rise. It means more months and possibly years of Bush administration spin about dead-enders running the insurgency, about “freedom on the march,” about the legitimacy of this war. Yet, nothing can diminish the fact that millions of Iraqis went to the polls on Sunday. They waited for hours in lines to help shape their country’s future through a legitimate election. Iraqis, men and women, proudly displayed their purple-tipped fingers as they exited their polling places, carrying those digits like badges of honor. They fought the evil of terrorism through the ballot box. They took a major step toward regaining control of their country from Americans. President Bush will proclaim the election as a victory in the war on terror and a triumph for democracy. He is, of course, right on these points. However, until the president is more forthcoming about his plans for securing Iraq, for the withdraw of U.S. troops, Americans should remain skeptical about what President Bush says about the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism. Remember that the president has already declared “mission accomplished.” The president gambled and, today it appears, won. But his success has come at a great price.
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