U.S. needs help in Iraq

Orlando Sentinel: President Bush's apology over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners Thursday was welcome but overdue. He missed an earlier, better opportunity for contrition when he appeared on Arab television Wednesday.
An apology from Bush will not magically clear the storm of international outrage stirred up by last week's broadcast of repulsive photographs of prisoners being humiliated and abused by U.S. soldiers at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. But an expression of personal regret from the U.S. president could speed the process of repairing the terrible damage the scandal has done to America's reputation and its mission in Iraq.
Ironically, the scandal upstaged two other discouraging developments this week in U.S. policy on Iraq. The Pentagon announced 138,000 U.S. troops would remain in Iraq at least through the end of 2005, officially scrapping plans to cut forces to 115,000 later this year. And the White House announced that it would seek an extra $25 billion to cover its expenses in Iraq and Afghanistan just through the end of this year, after earlier saying additional funds wouldn't be needed until next year.
Cutting isn't an option
It's clear that the United States can't cut back its troops in Iraq amid the current insurgencies there, especially with the June 30 transfer of sovereignty looming.
But the two announcements underscored the fact that American soldiers and taxpayers are still bearing almost all of the heavy cost of stabilizing postwar Iraq. The Bush administration has failed to persuade other countries to take over a significant share of the burden.
At recent hearings of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, experts testified that the United States would need to work through the United Nations to persuade more countries to contribute troops and money to Iraq. The United States could develop with other Security Council members a mutually agreeable power-sharing arrangement that would put an international stamp on the force that will remain in the country months or years after Iraqis claim sovereignty.Like the apology from Bush for the prisoner abuses, more international outreach will advance the U.S. goal of building a stable and democratic Iraq.