Not Just Issues - principles; This Means Foreign Policy, Too

Terry rightly pointed out that the left is more or less silent on the question of Iraq, a problem that must be remedied. I'd argue, though, that more than an Iraq policy, we need a coherent foreign policy/national security policy that encompasses but doesn't end at Iraq. The silence about "how to get out of this crisis" is driven by the sad fact that there really are very few, if any, alternatives to the course we're on: put enough troops in place to enforce stability until enough Iraqis are trained and capable of taking over the job in service to a legitimately elected Iraqi government. The moment for presenting credible alternatives was during the build-up to the war, a moment we were similarly, incomprehensibly, and inexusably silent. Anything we'll add at this point is on the margins - get rid of no bid contracts and demand accountability from all of the civilian contractors (or mercenaries, depending upon your point of view) we've got doing the job over there, ensure troop strength is accomplished fairly and honestly rather than through a back-door draft system of stop-loss and extensions, don't rush elections, etc. etc. etc.

The worst we can do is continue to treat the Iraq war as an issue, rather than as an extension of a rational, coherent, principled, and articulated foreign and national security policy. Such a policy will address not only what we see as the errors in judgment, intelligence, and planning in Iraq and how to move forward there, but how to avoid the same quagmire as we address the threats embodied in Iran, North Korea, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and the more generalized terrorist networks.

And one more (smallish) area of disagreement with Terry: I think we'd better be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Of course we need to address Iraq, but we also need to address misadventures in governance like the Istook amendment. Not only is it legitimately bad policy, but it demonstrates very clearly that the Republicans, while fully in charge, aren't responsibly managing their legislative process and that the Republicans are not the supporters of individual rights over big government that they claim they are -- Democrats are.