This week's column

Tom's reply to farhad's comment intros this week's column:

Farhad,

You need to disaggregate: there is the argument regarding consequences and utility of striking Iran.and there is the sales job offered as rationale for those strikes.

I have been very clear and consistent on the former. Here, I express my sense of how this administration may well sell such strikes.

You want to distinguish between the two, especially in a republic like the U.S.

The column:

Reconstructing the Iraq reconstruction

America's debate about bringing our troops home from Iraq is largely consummated -- at least for this presidency. Thanks to Army Gen. David Petraeus' reasonably successful appearances before Congress earlier this month, that rhetorical argument has shifted to the presidential campaign. The actual details of our long-term drawdown will be hashed out within the Pentagon and Central Command as both struggle with the challenges of troop burnout and threatened military strikes against Iran.

As for Iraq itself, we collectively enter a strategic space where it's possible to chart real progress across three mini-states surrounding a dysfunctional capital. Now, instead of trying to rebuild Iraq as a unified whole, we face the more manageable challenges of connecting the Kurds, Sunni and Shia -- in that order -- to the global economy. It'll be mostly oil, but at least they've all got some.

Read on at KnoxNews.
Read on at Scripps Howard.

Comments

[Tom Mull]

Great column Tom (as is usual). Are you familiar with the "Biden-Brownback-Boxer amendment" that the US senate is voting on next Tuesday? Here is a quote from an email I got from Biden's campaign:"Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and I introduced the Biden-Brownback-Boxer amendment, which calls for working with the Iraqis to transition the country into a federal system, as their Constitution allows and securing the support of the United Nations and Iraq's neighbors for this plan. Majority Leader Harry Reid has called on Dems to unite in support for the measure and Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Chuck Shumer (D-NY), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-AR) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) have joined us as co-sponsors. In an important display of bipartisanship, Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA), Gordon Smith (R-OR), and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) are also supporting the amendment. " I responded to the request to ask the other senate members that are campaigning for pres to support this and my own two WA state ones and I signed the online petition (http://joebiden.com/getinvolved/petitions/iraq_vote). Hillary Clinton: (202) 224-4451, Barack Obama: (202) 224-2854, Chris Dodd: (202) 224-2823, Bill Richardson: (505) 828-2455, John Edwards: (919) 636-3131. I apollogize in advance if I crossed any lines that I ought not have in posting this info but I thought it was most relevant to your article and and the spirit of your writings. =)

[CitSAR]

Alas, the art of using listening and empathy skills is a lost art. Everyone is too intent on their pre-conceived opinions (anger) than actually learning something new.

[farhad]

Dr barnett,thanks for clarifying your postion on strike on iran.but don't you think beside the overstreched militery wise that Gen falconhas pointed out, economicly US is overstreched too. this not going tobe a 2-3 days campaign,it will ingulf the whole region militerly andaffect the flow of oil from striat of hormoz and hence affect the worldeconomicly. how we can cope with 160 to $180 a barrel and its affecton the economy. bernard key(fed bank) took a big risk by droping therate from 5.25% to 4.75%,it did produce 350bl in stock market andshort term,but we see after 31 years US dollar equal canadian dollar.he didn't get the anticipated drop in the troublesome area in themortage industries,we also have to see the affect on groce nationalproducts and the effective demand.