Iraq First: then we can fix our own mess

I've said before that I'd vote for Gen. Petraeus in this election over either candidate. What problems will our next president face: a faltering economy, Washington-as-usual, two far-away wars, a country sharply divided. Take a look at Petraeus's resume. Having taken his job in the midst of a disfunctional economy, a corrupt and deadlocked government, an all-out war outside his office window, and a country ravished by sectarian violence, the general has done remarkably well on all three fronts in spite of the immense challenges handed over to him by the former command and the Bush administration. Diplomat, economist, philosopher, military master-mind, and all-around productivity machine, I can think of no better candidate for Chief of State and Commander in Chief -- but the last place I want him (for the time being) is in Washington.

While I'd love to have Petraeus as president someday, it seems to me preposterous to pull him out of precisely the place where he's most needed: Iraq.

But in a sense, isn't that what Obama wanted to do?

While our country may look like it is in dire straits, Iraq (pop. 28 million) has it far, far worse. Sure, there are countries all over the world -- Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan to name a few -- where conditions rival those in Iraq, but none where the blame points so accusingly toward the US as in Iraq (granted, you could make an argument for Haiti).

I'm sorry to say it: it was not just the Bush administration that invaded Iraq -- it was all of America, and we've incurred substantial moral liability as a result. While I sincerely hope that the current president has a nightly "out damn spot" episode, our nation has no right to just wash our hands of Iraq and absolve ourselves of the sins of our leaders. The least we must do is restore Iraq to where it was and put it on a path to future prosperity. Anything less would be a disservice to humanity and to the 28 million citizens of Iraq, most of whom are peace-loving and law-abiding human beings.

The Obama campaign is simply wrong to treat the war in Iraq as less important because it was less legitimately conceived. His argument focuses entirely on what was already done as a justification as what we should do now -- that somehow by turning the war machine in reverse, it will undo all that has already been done. McCain, at least I think, takes the past as an exogenous variable, and seeks to optimize the outcome in Iraq with what he's given, as he showed by supporting the Surge. This is the more rational approach. I know Democrats (Republicans too) are unhappy with the "original sin" of invading Iraq, but the logic goes that by pulling the feet out from under the war, we'll somehow get back at Republicans and the president -- maybe we'll even get to say "I told you so" if Iraq goes down with the Republican party. Its kind of perverse, but thats all the sense I can make of it.

Luckily for Democrats, and largely thanks to the good General-saint, Democrats may get their cake and eat it too. The argument for immediate withdraw that looked ludicrous at the beginning of this campaign suddenly appears at least feasible thanks to the unanticipated success of the Surge. While we won't be able to vote for Petraeus, his role in this election is far from isolated. For myself and those who think about Iraq as I do, the general paved the way for making Obama an acceptable candidate.

I was wholly unprepared to throw the fate of 28 million people to the mercy of the democratic whims of a dissatisfied American populous by voting for Obama -- I don't know that he would have done it, but he at least had to say it to get elected. On the domestic front, our nation will remain more or less prosperous no matter who is elected. A bad choice on Iraq, however, especially when sectarian violence still raged, could have meant the demise of an entire country. In the beginning, that was enough to make this election a one-issue vote for me.

Things are very different in Iraq now, and a rapid pull-out appears to be a much less disasterous option than it did before. For myself, and I think most Americans, the issues in this election have shifted from Iraq to the economy as we become more comfortable with progress in Iraq and less comfortable with our own domestic problems.

Thank General Petraeus (and ironically John McCain to some extent) for permitting me to vote Country First in this election - which might well mean Obama - and not solely Iraq First as I would have been morally compelled to do before.


Further Reading:
He Came, He Cut Deals, He (May) Conquer
Gerson: Casualty of the Surge
Diehl: McCain's Running Mate