Iraq, Timetables, and Turkey

The Democrats are obsessed with timetables for troop withdrawal from Iraq. They insist that since the Bush administration will not offer a timetable, it has no plan for victory and no exit strategy.

That's an unfair accusation.

Back in August, Senator Russ Feingold was the first elected official to set a specific date, December 31, 2006, for American troops to be out of Iraq.

Last week, Congressman John Murtha was the first "hawkish" official to call for the "immediate redeployment" of our troops.

On November 17, 2005, Murtha said:

I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice that the United States will immediately redeploy. All of Iraq must know that Iraq is free. Free from United States occupation. I believe this will send a signal to the Sunnis to join the political process for the good of a “free” Iraq.

My plan calls:

To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces.

Although Murtha has recently tried to backtrack on what that means, "immediate redeployment" refers to immediate withdrawal, moving troops out of Iraq.

For months now, Dems have prodded the Bush administration to provide a specific timetable to bring the troops home. Throwing out dates like that would be utterly ridiculous. Nonetheless, since they have not done so, the Dems claim Iraq is a quagmire and unwinnable.

Unfortunately, the Dems don't seem to be able to comprehend the nuances of an appropriate exit strategy.

Since June, Bush has said, "As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down." On June 28, 2005, in a speech to at Fort Bragg, N.C., the President explained U.S. goals for victory in Iraq.

He said:

The principal task of our military is to find and defeat the terrorists and that is why we are on the offense. And as we pursue the terrorists, our military is helping to train Iraqi security forces so that they can defend their people and fight the enemy on their own. Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.

Just days ago, Bush reiterated this strategy during his trip to Asia.

BUSAN, South Korea (CNN) -- In a speech to U.S. troops in South Korea, President Bush on Saturday rejected Democratic calls to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq, vowing to "stay in the fight until we have achieved the victory our brave troops have fought for."

"In Washington, there are some who say that the sacrifice is too great, and they urge us to set a date for withdrawal before we have completed our mission," Bush said Saturday. "Those who are in the fight know better."

"So long as I am commander-in-chief, our strategy in Iraq will be driven by the sober judgment of our military commanders on the ground," he said, adding that U.S. troops are "making steady progress" in training Iraqi forces to defend their country.

"As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down," he said.

True, the Bush administration provides no specific dates or timetables, because doing so would be terribly irresponsible and dangerous for the Iraqi people.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was interviewed by John King on CNN.

He asked her to offer specifics about U.S. troop levels in Iraq being reduced.

QUESTION: Clearly going to come down, when? Senator Biden says bring maybe 50,000 home next year. I understand there's a plan circulating within the Administration that could bring, assuming conditions on the Iraq ground improve, as many as 60,000 home next year. How many and when?


SECRETARY RICE: I think what the President will want to assess is when can we safely bring down our level of forces so that Iraqis are really capable of achieving the results and the effects that you want rather than having some artificial timetable. I suspect that the American forces are not going to be needed in the numbers that they are there for all that much longer because Iraqis are continuing to make progress in function, not just in numbers but in their capabilities to do certain functions like, for instance, holding a highway between the airport and the center of the city, something that our forces were doing just a short time ago, they're now doing. I think that's how the President will want to look at this.

Clearly, troop levels will go down, but according to circumstances that will allow it, not some arbitrary date.

I'm sick of the politics. Calls for a timetable are lame. The fact is there is no way to predict exactly when the U.S. military presence in Iraq will end.

Timetables are guides; but they provide no guarantees.

Since it's Thanksgiving, let's talk turkey and timetables.

When the turkey goes in the oven, I can go to the timetable and estimate when the turkey will be cooked to perfection.



However, experience has shown that the turkey doesn't always cooperate with the timetable. Sometimes, it reaches the proper temperature sooner than I expect. Sometimes, it requires more time.

In any event, I take the turkey out of the oven at precisely the right moment, when the meat thermometer says it's time. I wouldn't let it dry out, nor would I serve an underdone turkey just because I wanted to abide by a timetable.

Blindly following a timetable can be disastrous. It's irresponsible. Food poisoning would be certain to put a damper on the holiday.

Sound judgment and common sense are necessary for success. That's the only exit strategy for the turkey that I intend to follow, not a cooking chart.

I wonder if all those demanding a set timetable to withdraw our troops from Iraq also think it's a good idea to pull the turkey out of the oven, carve it, and eat it before it's done. I doubt it.