Iraq Group Report; Road to Peace or Another Sell Out?

December 6, 2006

The panel led by former Secretary of State James Baker, appointed and commissioned to study the situation in Iraq and make recommendations on what avenue the President should take was released today. Without the benefit of a full and in depth study of the report, I have noted some recommendations that I fell should be ignored.

To begin with, this panel itself, billed as “bipartisan” appears to be a complete sham. Of the ten members on the panel, six are either Democrats or Clinton staff members. Others are career Diplomats at best, moderates or RINOs at worst. Why Sandra Day O’Conner and Vernon Jordan are even on a panel to study policy for the President is beyond me. I don’t see one person I consider a conservative nor a high ranking Military Officer on the panel.

The UK Independent, a decidedly left leaning and anti-Bush paper ran an article today titled Apocalypse now: 79 recommendations and a President forced into a corner.
The article begins with,

“A gauntlet was thrown at George Bush's feet yesterday when a long-awaited report on Iraq recommended that he seek the help of Iran and Syria, significantly bolster Iraqi forces and prepare to withdraw most US troops within 14 months.”

“It warned that finding a way forward had to be part of a broader Middle East settlement that established a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict and provided peace for Lebanon.”

Most disturbing is this “seek the help of Syria and Iran.” From a DEBKAfileNews article, cited in the Arab World News, we read the headline Baker-Hamilton Group Seeks Israel’s Return of Golan for a Secure Peace with Syria

Not too long ago Israel gave back the Gaza Strip and I hope everyone recalls what that cost them in personnel and combat with Hezbollah out of Lebanon. If Israel gives up any more land, when they currently have but a small fraction of what was to be allotted to them to form their nation after World War One, I see another blood bath coming that will make the 1967 conflict, when they captured the land after being savagely attacked, appear small in nature.

Also in this article is, “The only lasting and secure peace will be a negotiated peace.”

World War One was settled by such an arrangement and that led to the rise of Adolph Hitler and his Nazis and plunged the world into an even bloodier war.

In a World Net Daily titled “Terrorists rejoicing over new Iraq ‘plan',” we read comments from those claiming to be leaders of the terrorists.

"The report proves that this is the era of Islam and of jihad," said Abu Ayman, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad in the northern West Bank town of Jenin.

"[With the Iraq Study Group report], the Americans came to the conclusion that Islam is the new giant of the world and it would be clever to reduce hostilities with this giant. In the Quran the principle of the rotation is clear and according to this principle the end of the Americans and of all non-believers is getting closer," Abu Ayman said.
According to Abu Abdullah, a senior leader of Hamas' so-called military wing, Baker's report is a victory for Islam brought about by "Allah and his angels."
"It is not just a simple victory. It is a great one. The big superpower of the world is defeated by a small group of mujahedeen (fighters). Did you see the mujahedeens' clothes and weapons in comparison with the huge individual military arsenal and supply that was carrying every American soldier?" exclaimed Abu Abdullah, who is considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared "resistance" department.
"It is no doubt that Allah and his angels were fighting with them (insurgents) against the Americans. It is a sign to all those who keep saying that America, Israel and the West in general cannot be defeated on the ground so let us negotiate with them," Abu Abdullah said.
Abu Abdullah said following a withdrawal from Iraq, the U.S. will be defeated on its own soil.
"America must understand that with anti-American governments in Latin America and with Islam growing and reinforcing, including in the U.S. itself, the next step would be a total defeat on their (American) land, not a relative one like they are facing in Iraq," he said.
"The Iraqi victory is a great message and lesson to the revolutionary and freedom movements in the world. Just to think that this resistance is led by hundreds of Sunni fighters who defeated hundreds of thousands of Americans, British and thousands of soldiers who belong to the puppet regime in Baghdad. What would be the situation if the Shiites will decide to join the resistance?" commented Abu Nasser.
Islamic Jihad's Abu Ayman said after the U.S. "defeat" in Iraq is finalized, insurgents there should move to the West Bank and Gaza to help destroy Israel.

Al Jazeera, in an article titled Iraq report: US strategy failing adds their two cents with, “At least ten US soldiers have been killed in Iraq on the day that the Iraq Study Group released a report which said that US strategy in Iraq is not working.”

Syria’s Buthaina Shabaan, the expatriates minister, told Al Jazeera: "We welcome this report and regard it as a very important step. It means, God willing, the end of this era of American intervention in the region and the American occupation of Iraq which brought catastrophic ramifications on the whole region."

I suppose he felt Saddam Hussein and his murderous sons were better for the region? Maybe because Saddam truly was helping to fund terrorists?

What I find truly telling is reading Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president saying, "We believe that Iraq's problems can be resolved by Iraqis alone," as well as Nir Rosen of the New American foundation, saying that there was one thing all parties could agree on and that was that the US military can not win the war in Iraq. He said: "It has to be won by the Iraqi government and Iraqi politicians, not the US military."

Yet, they all are calling on America to intercede and pressure Israel to give up the Golan Heights in another “land for peace” deal that has always failed? Maybe they all should butt out and let Israel and the Palestinian Arabs settle their problems themselves too?

Seeing the apparent dangers for Israel in these “recommendations,” the Jerusalem Post ran two related articles, Israel must be wary of paying the price for Iraq's mess and Official: US talks could isolate Israel indicating the worry they have over this report, should much of it be implemented.

While I don’t necessarily oppose Diplomatic efforts, history shows they all too often fail and are used as a smokescreen for our enemies to strengthen their Armies and rebuild their weapons, resulting in even bloodier wars down the road. Diplomacy from a position of weakness, a position we portray with the help of the anti-war left and liberal Democrats that have done nothing but bash President Bush and the war, is a ready formula for failure.

Despots such as the terrorists and their leaders only understand superior strength, not kumbaya. The North Vietnamese also desired negotiations, remember? We withdrew, they rebuilt and resupplied and swarmed over South Viet Nam, as we sat idly by and allowed a fledgling ally to succumb to communism.

As was stated above in the World Net Daily article, terrorists feel triumphant now and as soon as we leave, they will follow us. That is their promise.

If we are to negotiate in an effort to allow Diplomacy to solve this issue, we must follow the words of an ex-President, Teddy Roosevelt, when he quoted a West African proverb, “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

In the interim, I pray President Bush studies this ill conceived “plan” and deposits much of it in the appropriate round file. Clearly, it is more of a sell-out than a roadmap for peace.

Lew

UPDATE: The Iraq Study Group Report -- The Way Backward (By Tom DeLay)

UPDATE: Center for Security Policy also sees problems with this "report." Here they have an open letter to the President urging him to proceed cautiously with any acceptance of the ISG report, written by Senator Jon Kyl and R. James Woolsey.