If you’re not reading the Belgravia Dispatch today, you’re missing out. Greg Djerejian is on a roll today. A sample:
This is why so many center-left Democrats simply can’t be trusted with the apparatus of national security policy making. They just don’t get it. A telegraphed exit is stupid policy, of course. And does anyone seriously believe we are going to scuttle our wider war aims in the conflict against radical Islam–by leaving sizable bases in Iraq after they are no longer needed (handing a propaganda victory to jihadists and conspiracy mongers through the region)? The reality, of course, is that forces will be needed there for a good while yet. But, if we are lucky enough to stabilize Iraq as a unitary, democratic polity–I have no doubt the vast majority of our forces will leave and that we won’t leave permanent garrisons behind. Black is merely, and very amateurishly and obviously, setting up his next line of attack (neo-colonialist aggression! perma-bases dude!) because he can’t rant on quite as much about some Tet on the Tigris after yesterday’s setback to the insurgents. Sad.
We already abandoned our bases in Saudi because they were doing more harm than good, and if it comes to that, we’d do the same in Iraq. Still, I have a feeling that the Iraqis may not mind having a small US presence in their country for the sake of stability as well as the economic benefits it would bring. However, any US basing rights in Iraq would be subject to approval of the Iraqi government, and part of the deal we’ve struck is that once the terrorists are gone, our forces will go with them. While having basing rights in Iraq would be a nice thing to give ourselves more operational flexibility and keep the peace, they’re not crucial, and part of the mutual embrace of democracy between the US and Iraq is giving the Iraqis the authority to run their own country. Too bad the left still hasn’t quite grasped that concept.
