A Bi-Partisan Occupation

Can't Stay the Course, Can't End the War

By PHYLLIS BENNIS and ERIK LEAVER
CounterPunch

"Despite the breathless hype, the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group (ISG) report did not include any dramatic new ideas for ending the war in Iraq. In fact, it did not include a call to end the war at all. Rather, the report's recommendations focus on transforming the U.S. occupation of Iraq into a long-term, sustainable, off-the-front-page occupation with a lower rate of U.S. casualties. Despite its title, it does not provide "A New Approach: A Way Forward."

George Bush, announcing the report, said "the country is tired of pure political bickering." It would be far more accurate to say the country--not to mention Iraq and the rest of the world--are tired of war. The report is a reaction to the American people's and the anti-war movement's rejection of the war in the November 2006 elections. But the ISG's goal appeared to reflect the elite consensus in U.S. opinion of the importance of a different goal--getting the issue of the war off the November 2008 election agenda--not to end the war.

The new catch phrase of spin around withdrawal used in the report is "responsible transition." In the introduction, the report states that "this responsible transition can allow for a reduction in the U.S. presence in Iraq over time." It is not aimed at ending that U.S. presence. It is very clear that the Baker-Hamilton team do not propose a diminishing of U.S. efforts to control Iraq; the focus is very much on supporting (and keeping in power) the current U.S.-backed government and its army, despite the fact that neither institution reflects much of the national consciousness and accountability, let alone legitimacy, that the report claims to want......

Continued."