A Timetable for Withdrawal from Iraq

Think Progress lists some quotes from then Texas Governor George Bush demanding a timetable and explanation of an exit strategy from President Clinton during the Kosovo war. Today, of course, President Bush opposes the idea of setting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. As I've commented on before, the president's pre-presidency criteria for deciding to go to war were

1. Is it in our vital national interest?
2. Was the mission clearly defined?
3. Are the troops prepared, from both a morale, equipment, and training point of view, to win?
4. Is there an exit strategy?

The Iraq war met few of these criteria, if any. The only one that can be argued to have been met is the preparedness of the troops. Even there, only the morale and training points can be argued; that the troops have been poorly equipped for the occupation has been well documented. So the president violated every principle he supposedly had to go to war in Iraq. Are we really surprised that he violated his demand for a timetable on extraction?

Having said that, I actually agree with the president's view. Er, his current view. Setting a timetable is not a good idea. Having a well-defined exit strategy in which we clearly define our goals and set the criteria by which we may identify completion of those goals, is crucial. The president hasn't ever done that. Setting a timetable does not help achieve our goals, whatever they are. Now, if those goals cannot be achieved, we should just get out. What we should be demanding from the president instead of some arbitrary timetable is the well defined exit strategy. As the president himself said, "Victory means exit strategy, and it'’s important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is." He's right.

Interestingly, in the big quote from Bush in my previous post, he talks about not meeting recruitment goals, ill equipped troops, and the military being overextended. In his 2000 debate with Gore, this was a bad thing. By going to Iraq, he's helped create or exacerbate these very conditions.