Upfront on Iraq: President's message comes through

Dallas Morning News | Editorials:

“In the course of a year, Iraqis have held a constitutional convention, ratified a constitution and are now voting on a permanent parliament. Despite continuing violence, the political landscape in Iraq is far more promising and hopeful today than it was a year ago.”

This DMN editorial is exactly the kind of political cover President Bush needs to declare "mission accomplished" (again!) and begin withdrawal of American troops. Let's see it repeated a hundred times in thousands of newspapers across the country.

This war has been a debacle. It was started under false pretenses. It was executed incompetently. It bankrupted our nation. It distracted us from our war on al Qaeda. Its goal has morphed into impossible dream -- peace and democracy in an area of the world that has been at war for generations. Americans want our troops home.

President Bush defines victory as democracy, internal security, and elimination of the threat to the international community. Nowhere in this formula are civil liberties a necessary part of victory. No freedom of speech or religion. No rights for women or ethnic minorities. Our aims are small compared to the liberties Americans enjoy at home, but even so, still incredibly difficult to achieve in fact, not just in speeches.

The best America can hope for is that eventually a strong Islamic Republic is established, on the order of Iran. Not much liberty there, but it is democratic and it is strong enough to secure the peace. The sooner some kind of power emerges in Iraq that can hold the country together, with at least a charade of democracy, the sooner President Bush can begin the withdrawal of troops. Reason enough to celebrate little victories like today's national elections.