The Surge: A Total Failure

General David Petraeus is a brilliant general and an American hero (much more so than John McCain, if we are using success as a measuring stick). He was put between a (I)rock and a hard place by the Bush administration. Violence has dramatically dropped and the death of American soldiers has decreased.  Iraq is more stable today than it has been since Saddam Hussein was in power. One might believe, as John MCain has argued, that the surge was successful. It wasn’t. The surge has been a complete disaster. While Barack Obama has confessed the surge was more successful than he originally anticipated, he has not and should not testify to its success.

It is simple to grasp. I really don’t understand what John McCain is missing  here. President Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq to, despite what we now know and believe, create a democratic ally in the middle east. That is the one standard we have to judge success on. If John McCain can somehow claim we will succeed in Iraq, then it is not too far fetched for him to believe we have created a democratic ally in Iraq.

For those of us in reality, let’s reflect. We did not invade Iraq to separate Sunni and Shia from a starting a civil war.  In fact, they were living in relative peace with one another prior to our arrival. The surge though, did just that.  We were forced to send 20,000 American troops to stop Sunni and Shia militants from starting a civil war. To that effect, perhaps it was the Mahdi Army’s (a Shia militant group) willingness to negotiate peace or the Sunni’s standing up for their “Iraqiness.” Maybe diplomacy does work. Wow. Of course, McCain would counter by stating the surge led to this. Either way, the original intent of setting up an ally to help spread democracy through the middle east is still far from happening.

A more disturbing fact, which is not refutable, is the depressed state of American diplomacy and the world’s perspective of America. If we can’t win with tens of thousands of American troops, forget flying to Baghdad and meeting with Al-Maliki, Bush sends twenty thousand more troops. And yes, what our European allies, South Korea, and all our allies around the world think of American policy and diplomacy matters. It takes friends to survive. Maybe that is why Bush’s approval rating correlates so well with his failures.

Two more talking points. Our true “enemies” (the regime in Iran and North Korea, for example) have been bolstered by our inability to focus on diplomacy.  Our competition, China and Russia, have benefited immensely and erased any American advantage due to the war.  Russia can easily invade Georgia, we are tied up in Iraq. China can send more weapons to Sudan, our intelligence is focused elsewhere. We have allowed Afghanistan to deteriorate to the point of no return.  British commanders have admitted a surge is of little use at this point. It is too late.

The surge may have eased tensions between Iraqi factions, but that was never our intent. When will this war end, Senator McCain? You call for victory, but do not define. You say we will win, but do not say how.