Obama Doomed to Repeat Bush’s Biggest Mistake

Obama Doomed to Repeat Bush’s Biggest Mistake

Obviously there are any number of policy moves made by the Bush administration that are subject to criticism. However, one mistake in particular will stand out above the rest in history. Over time the causes of the Iraq War will fade and history will focus on the events that occurred after the invasion. As an example, how many of you can tell me the when the Vietnam War started, how it started or the events that occurred during the 10 years prior to escalation?

President Bush’s biggest mistake in Iraq was made during the months prior to the invasion. President Bush in a rush to launch an invasion following the expiration of yet another UN resolution chose to override the judgment, experience, and knowledge of our nation’s top military commanders. Bush was many top generals and analysts that we needed to establish a plan for occupation and security following the initial invasion. The Civilian Leadership of the Bush Administration chose to overlook the calls for additional planning and decided on an occupation force less than half of what military leadership wanted. The first 3 years of the War in Iraq were marred by the mistake of a Commander-In-Chief that adopted war policies in direct contradiction of those recommended by top commanders.

John McCain was one of the first congressional leaders to openly criticize President Bush for failing to follow the recommendations of our military leadership and for his stubbornness in regards to troop levels and post-war planning. Bush’s resolve has been an asset to our nation at times, but he will long be remembered for his mistake in believing that as commander-in-chief he knows best. It would take more than three years before military leadership would take the reigns in Iraq and President Bush would finally follow the recommendations of military leadership who believed that a troop surge in conjunction with diplomatic pressure could quell the violence in Iraq.

Today we are slowly recognizing the value and positive results generated by listening to our military leadership and allowing them to develop a strategy for Iraq. Violence in Iraq has dropped dramatically, political reconciliation is taking place, and Iraqi leadership continues to meet the benchmarks put forth at the time of the troop surge. As security continues to build public confidence in the fledgling Iraqi government, we will soon find our military in position to begin a steady withdrawal from Iraq. However, any withdrawal from Iraq should be done in a manner in which our military leadership and the Iraqi government see fit. We have a humanitarian obligation to the citizens of Iraq and a need to prevent the possibility that Iraqi society could collapse, thereby creating a perception of a second abandonment by the US.

For one, I cannot see the media perception that Obama has moved to the center on Iraq policy. He has not changed his perception of the security or socio-political environment in Iraq. To this day, he has stuck with his policy that he would immediately begin withdrawing 2 brigades per month from Iraq. The media have been willing accomplices of the Obama propaganda machine by advertising the Obama will consider the advice of the military leadership in the Middle East. But if Obama truly intended on considering the recommendations of military and Iraqi leadership than he would have never have taken a position that stubbornly defines a systematic withdrawal of forces. The fact is that Obama has absolutely no military experience, no background of military education, and no history of seeking to understand the situation on the ground by consulting or meeting with our military commanders.

During WWI, WWII, Korea, and the Gulf War our commander-in-chief’s established objectives but allowed our military to plan and institute the actions to carry out those objectives. During those wars we were blessed with civilian leadership that did not try to micro-manage those wars. It would be refreshing if Obama would state that he would establish an objective to withdraw our troops within a matter of 2, 3, 4, or 5 years; but allow our military leadership on the ground to establish when and how the troop withdrawals are to take place. Instead we may be doomed to electing another President who mistakenly overlooks the recommendations of our military leadership and stubbornly attempts to micro-manage a war when they have no military experience.

The questions that the media should be asking are:

Why is it that Senator Obama wishes to follow in the footsteps of President Bush by not allowing our military commanders on the ground to develop and carry out a plan of action to meet the President’s objectives?

And, what qualification does Senator Obama have that lead him to believe that he is better suited to micro-manage a war than our military commanders?

The Iraq war is the only issue that Senator Obama has not truely flipped on. Unfortunately, like President Bush prior to 2007, it is the one issue he should flip on.

There is inherent value in learning and understanding history; without knowledge of our past mistakes we are doomed to repeat them.

J Brown
July 8th, 2008
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