No for 4 Iraq War Plans

The Iraq War Study Group (IWSG) issued its 142-page final report, "The Way Forward: A New Approach," on December 6, 2006.

In its Report, the IWSG thoughtfully crafted 79 sequential recommendations for U.S. forces in Iraq to "evolve to one of supporting the Iraqi army," and to withdraw U.S. troops not involved with Iraq security by 2008.

After in-depth study and for reasons outlined in their Report, the distinguished, bipartisan IWSG firmly ruled out 4 courses of U.S. action for the Iraq War:

1. Staying the present course - President Bush has long promulgated that the U.S. will eventually "win" if it just sticks with the Bush plan, no matter how long it takes or how much death and annihilation it causes.

Commented James A. Baker III, co-chairman of the IWSG, "We do not recommend a stay-the-course solution; in our opinion, that approach is no longer viable."

2. Immediate full withdrawal - On November 17, 2005, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) created a White House furor when he demanded that the U.S.:

* Immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces...
* Create a quick reaction force in the region
* Create an over- the- horizon presence of Marines
* Diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq.

The IWSG concluded that a "premature American departure from Iraq would almost certainly produce greater sectarian violence... and could eventually require the United States to return."

3. More troops for Iraq - Republican 2008 presidential contender Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) believes that the answer to squelch the civil war in Iraq is "Another 20,000 troops in Iraq, but that means expanding the Army and the Marine Corps."

The IWSG observed that "Sustained increases in U.S. troop levels would not solve the fundamental cause of violence in Iraq."

4. Dividing Iraq into 3 separate ethnic regions - In a May 1, 2006 New York Times op-ed, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), incoming Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged that Iraq be divided into 3 separate regions, Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni, with a central government in Baghdad.

Wrote Sen. Biden, "Decentralization is hardly as radical as it may seem: the Iraqi Constitution, in fact, already provides for a federal structure and a procedure for provinces to combine into regional governments."

The IWSG disagrees, writing in its Report that "The costs associated with devolving Iraq into three semi-autonomous regions with loose central control would be too high."

IWSG Final Report Recommendation

The Iraq War Study Group Report summarizes, "...the primary mission of U.S. troops should evolve to one of supporting the Iraqi army.

It's clear the Iraqi government will need U.S. assistance for some time to come, especially in carrying out new security responsibilities.

Yet, the United States must not make open-ended commitments to keep large numbers of troops deployed in Iraq."

And the IWSG's distinguished 10 members... 5 Republicans and 5 Democrats... unanimously approved "every word" of its Report, which strongly recommends that most U.S. troops leave Iraq by 2008.

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Obama Faith-Based Plans

On July 1, 2008, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama unveiled his plan to continue, with significant modifications, the faith-based funding initiatives established by President Bush.

Briefly, the modifications to the Bush plan include: Faith-based and secular community service organizations will be considered equally for partnership under this plan. Prohibitions against faith-based organizations using these programs for religious instruction or proselytizing. Prohibitions against such organizations in discriminating against potential or actual program participants. Periodic evaluations of all programs against "best practices" benchmarks.Additionally, the Obama faith-based initiative includes a new, $500-million-a-year plan for a summer literacy program to strenghten reading and math skills for one million children from low-income families each year.

(Also see Obama's Faith-Based Plan: An Education Agenda Disguised as Religion for my evaluative thoughts on this initiative.)

PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITIES OF FAITH

The following are excerpts from the full text of the Obama '08 campaign's report, PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITIES OF FAITH.

Barack Obama supports a White House office dedicated to a strong partnership between the White House and grassroots groups, both faith-based and secular.

As president, he will establish a new President's Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The new name will reflect a new commitment to strengthening the partnership between government and neighborhood community programs.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Barack Obama believes that our problems require an "all hands on deck" approach, and that the federal government should enlist effective faith-based and community groups to help solve them.

Obama also respects the First Amendment and prudential concerns that have been raised on both sides of the debate over the role and scope of faith-based initiatives.

Obama’s initiative will be governed by a set of core principles for federal grant recipients. In order to receive federal funds to provide social services, faith-based organizations: Cannot use federal funds to proselytize or provide religious sectarian instruction. Cannot discriminate against nonmembers in providing services. They must remain open to all and cannot practice religious discrimination against the populations they serve. Must comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Religious organizations that receive federal dollars cannot discriminate with respect to hiring for government-funded social service programs. Can only use taxpayer dollars on secular programs and initiatives. Must prove their efficacy and be judged based on program effectiveness. They will be expected to demonstrate proven program outcomes to continue to receive funding.

Obama will fund programs that work and end funding for programs that do not – whether they are large or small, well-established or new, faith-based or otherwise.

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