Just four Republican members of Congress had the courage late last week to vote for a bill requiring that U.S. troops stationed in Iraq be deployed by next April. Mike McCaul was not among those showing such courage. Instead, he voted to keep taxpayers’ sons and daughters mired in the escalating violence while the Baghdad government continues to enjoy its summer-long vacation.
For Central Texans who have been watching Mr. McCaul put his rubber stamp on the White House’s failed public policies for the past four years, his vote last week was no surprise.
Nor will his next move be – introducing a measure calling for the adoption of the Iraq Study Group’s recommendations from last year, now that those recommendations are no longer viable, if they ever were.
This isn’t leadership. It’s followership. And followership isn’t good enough.
When I went to Iraq in 2005, it wasn’t because I was a fan of President Bush or his war. I’m not. But I had spent the previous years working for small-d democracy from Kosovo to Afghanistan, and I thought I might contribute in some small way to help the Iraqi people consolidate their peace so that our own troops could come back home where they belong.
I worked on the elections of October and December that year – historic successes in the midst of the violence, failure, and disappointment that have marked the U.S. presence there. In a rare collective act of hope and bravery, Sunni and Shiite alike went to the polls to choose a legitimate government in a free, fair, and open process, and the overwhelming public sentiment was to carry on with more elections in an effort to rebuild their nation.
Like millions around the world, I now realize that the Bush Administration and its congressional allies considered the elections little more than a photo op. No wonder they didn’t take advantage of the momentum that had started. The newly elected Iraqi government saw no reason to have more elections that could undermine its new power. The Iraqi public, hungry to make its voice heard again, never got that chance. The White House failed to push for more democratic change in Iraq. And without pressure from either government, the elections ministry where I worked collapsed into a cycle of score-settling personal vendettas and political purges.
Press releases instead of progress. Spin over substance. Flashbulbs, declarations of mission accomplished, and endless requests for just a little more time to turn things around. It’s not enough.
Along with thousands of brave soldiers and hundreds of other civilians from around the world, I tried to play a role in bringing positive change to Baghdad. But it wasn’t enough. The elections I worked on were allowed to fade away, like sowing seeds on dust. The best efforts of our troops, our team of international experts, and our good-hearted Iraqi friends didn’t end the war. We simply installed a government bent on entrenching itself every bit as violently as Saddam Hussein had.
But I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve come back home. And now I’m asking you to send me to Congress so that, together, we can make sure our brave troops come home soon, too.