Obama’s troop pullout plan a reflection of reality in Iraq

The anger expressed by many Democrats in Congress over President Barack Obama’s plan for the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq should reassure critics of his policy that the reality on the ground, and not politics, is the driving force. Obama’s decision to follow the advice of field commanders regarding the time-frame for the pullout shows a maturity as commander-in-chief that many doubted he possessed.

Indeed, the president received high praise from Republicans, led by his election rival Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for not only showing flexibility in bringing all combat troops home — during last year’s presidential campaign he had talked about 16 months after taking office, but his plan sets the time line at 18 months — but for recognizing the need to keep some troops in Iraq until Dec. 31, 2011. That’s the date all American troops must be out of Iraq under an agreement signed by former President George Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

“To this very day, there are some Americans who want to stay in Iraq longer, and some who want to leave faster,” Obama said in announcing his troop withdrawal plan during a visit to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He made the announcement in a gym filled with 2,700 Marines in camouflage uniforms.

But what has caused dissension within the ranks of the Democrats is the decision of the Democratic president — as a candidate Obama made the war in Iraq a cornerstone of his campaign — to keep 50,000 troops in Iraq until the end of 2011.

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Cleve-land, one of the harshest critics of President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq nearly six years ago, had this to say about Obama’s timetable:

“You cannot leave combat troops in a foreign country to conduct combat operations and call it the end of the war. You can’t be in and out at the same time. We must bring a conclusion to this sorry chapter in American history.”

Uptick in violence

While Kucinich is right about bringing America’s involvement in Iraq to an end, the need for caution in how the United States extricates itself cannot be dismissed. After a dramatic drop in violence over the past 18 months, there appears to be an uptick in suicide bombings and attacks on Iraqi and American forces.

On Wednesday, a suicide bomber stalked members of a police intelligence unit, waiting for their night shifts to end, then attacked them outside a Baghdad restaurant. Three were killed.

This follows a suicide car bombing at a police checkpoint in the northern city of Mosul and the ambush-slaying of a Sunni sheik and his family north of Baghdad.

The president has made it clear that his troop withdrawal announcement is a signal to the Iraqi government and the people of Iraq that the country’s future is in their hands.

The cost to America in lives and money has been enormous, which is why Democrats on Capitol Hill have reacted so negatively to the plan. But Obama insists the 50,000 soldiers who will remain after the 100,000 or so are withdrawn will be used to train, equip and advise Iraqi forces. They will also help protect withdrawing forces and work on counterterrorism.

There is a legitimate government in place in Iraq, and Iraqi forces, along with intelligence officials and police officers, are leading the campaign against extremists linked to al-Qaida.

However, they are still inexperienced, compared with the Americans and other coalition forces, and should be given the chance to hone their skills before they are left to completely fend for themselves.

The withdrawal timetable laid out by the president does that.