The So-Called ‘Surge’ Has Failed
On the one year anniversary of President Bush’s State of the Union address justifying his “New Way Forward” in Iraq, it is clear that the so-called “surge” has failed to meet its objectives. One year ago, the president pledged that “America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced.” Despite the fact that the Iraqi government has only met three of the 18 benchmarks laid out last year, an end to U.S. military and financial commitment is nowhere in sight.
From The Center for American Progress (go there for details):
Government Benchmarks: 2 of 8 Accomplished
1. Perform constitutional review. Unmet
2. Enact de-Ba’athification reform. Partial
4. Form semi-autonomous regions. Unmet
5. Hold provincial elections. Unmet
6. Address amnesty. Unmet
8. Establish support for Baghdad Security Plan. Met
16. Ensure minority rights in Iraqi legislature. Met
18. Keep Iraqi Security Forces free from partisan interference. Unmet
Security Benchmarks: 1 of 8 Accomplished
7. Disarm militias. Unmet
9. Provide military support in Baghdad. Partial
10. Empower Iraqi Security Forces. Partial
11. Ensure impartial law enforcement. Unmet
12. Establist support for Baghdad Security Plan by Maliki government. Unmet
13. Reduce sectarian violence. Partial
14. Establish neighborhood security in Baghdad. Met
15. Increase independent Iraqi Security Focres. Unmet
Economic Benchmarks: 0 of 2 Accomplished
3. Implement oil legislation. Unmet
17. Distribute Iraqi resources equitably. Partial
Previous One Utah posts:
Triumph of the So-Called ‘Surge’ An Illusion (December 4, 2007)
Iraq: Moving the Goalposts, Again (November 25, 2007)
GAO Report: Failure in Iraq (August 30, 2007)
Remember the Benchmarks! (July 8, 2007)
