“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
While no one knows with assurance where this quote originated from, it certainly fits current headlines. The dramatic congressional midterm elections indicated the American people are putting on their shoes. The tsunami that swept over Congress means our nation is getting it. We want to bring our troops home from Iraq. The only questions are when, and under what circumstances.
A sample of exit polling makes this clear. For example, Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee lost, despite being the only Republican senator to vote against the Iraq war. In a CNN exit poll, 69 percent of Rhode Islanders believed we should withdraw all, or some troops. In Ohio, 57 percent believed we should withdraw all or some troops. In Virginia, 52 percent wanted us to begin withdrawing troops. Virginia and Ohio also elected Democratic senators.
A CNN national exit poll for U.S. House races found 60 percent thought national issues mattered most to their vote. This sentiment is rare, because local concerns usually trump national problems. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed want us to begin our withdrawal. Most important, the central lie that led to this debacle – that war in Iraq would improve our security – was rejected by a 59 percent to 35 percent margin.
The mood in Maine is similar to the nation. A CNN exit poll found that 65 percent of Mainers disapprove of the Iraq war. Forty-seven percent strongly disapprove. Bill Slavick, an anti-war independent running for U.S. Senate on a shoestring budget, got over 5 percent of the vote.
President George W. Bush is mistaken if he believes a new secretary of defense will make Iraq more palatable to the American people. We recognize the invasion was a blunder, and we want to bring our brave soldiers home.
There is another, more difficult, truth this election revealed: President Bush cannot lead us to victory in Iraq. He has lost too much credibility and political power. The best he can do in the next 26 months is get out of the way and let others try to salvage the situation.
Of course our commander-in-chief will retain his formal power until he leaves office. However, if he really wants to help, he needs to allow other players to formulate and influence a new Iraq policy.
One source of insight is Congress. Radical as this might seem, he might actually listen to congressional Democrats. Specifically, he could ask Michigan Sen. Carl Levin or Delaware Sen. Joe Biden for advice. They both have been around Washington a long time, and are articulate and thoughtful on foreign policy.
Another source of sensible counsel is the Iraq Study Group. This bipartisan group was formed by Congress in March to assess future policy towards Iraq. They have been meeting with top Bush Administration officials and are expected to issue a report in December. The panel is co-chaired by James Baker – former secretary of state under President George H.W. Bush – and former Indiana Democratic congressman Lee Hamilton. They might provide a bipartisan ‘cover’ for the difficult choices that lay ahead.
The sentiment of the Iraqi people is also important. A September poll by the Program on International Policy Attitudes found 71 percent of Iraqis want their government to ask us to withdraw our troops within a year or less. Perhaps Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki will convey these feelings to President Bush when the leaders meet this week.
We also need to negotiate with Iraq’s neighbors. Even though we don’t trust their governments, Iran and Syria are major players in the Middle East. We need to engage them in a workable solution to the Iraq chaos. For domestic political reasons – in all countries involved – most of the diplomacy could be done below the radar. For example, how can we publicly negotiate with Iran, who President Bush called a part of the axis of evil? How can Iran publicly negotiate with us, since we are “the great Satan?”
Some might argue our nation simply cannot afford to admit the truth about Iraq. Admitting Bush has failed would make us look weak to our adversaries. This would only embolden them, and make the region more dangerous.
This argument ignores the fact our adversaries already know we are playing with a weak hand. It doesn’t take a sophisticated foreign policy analyst to realize our choices in Iraq are bad. So why should we keep lying to ourselves, when everyone else sees the truth?
Our nation will survive the mess this administration created in Iraq. I am confident we will prevail in the broader war on terror. But we will only succeed by staying true to our political institutions.
Three weeks ago, the people spoke. Our politicians now need to act.
Karl Trautman is chairperson of the social sciences department at Central Maine Community College. He received his doctorate in political science from the University of Hawaii. He can be reached at karltrautman@yahoo.com
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