Kissinger Says Victory In Iraq Not Possible

While President Bush keeps telling us that a victory is possible in Iraq, fewer and fewer people agree with him. Only 36% of the population still believes the president. Even Republicans are starting to jump ship and demand changes in Iraq policy.

The former Secretary of State in the Nixon administration, Henry Kissinger, has now joined those who believe Bush must alter his Iraq War policies. Kissinger also believes that Bush is wrong in his refusal to talk with some countries in the area, like Iran and Syria.

In a London television interview broadcast today, Kissinger said, "If you mean by 'military victory' an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don't believe that is possible."

These are not the words of a liberal. Although not a "neocon", Kissinger is a respected conservative with years of foreign policy experience, and many Americans respect his opinions. If he says a civil war is raging in Iraq and there is no possibility of victory there, it is time for Bush to listen.

But while he believes that a victory is not possible, Kissinger did warn that an immediate withdrawal poses danger for the entire region. He said, "A dramatic collapse of Iraq -- whatever we think about how the situation was created -- would have disastrous consequences for which we would pay for many years and which would bring us back, one way or another, into the region."

Kissinger went on to say that we must begin to involve Iraq's neighbors in talks to solve the problem. This echoes the statements a few days ago by James Baker. Baker also believes that face-to-face talks with Iran and Syria are neccessary.

I have for a while now been calling for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. I believe that Bush's refusal to see the reality of what is going on there, and his dogged determination to "stay the course", poses a serious danger to Americans and to the residents of the Middle East.

But there may now be some middle ground opening up. I like the idea of initiating talks with Syria and Iran [and possibly other countries in the area]. Doing so could create an atmosphere in which we could honorably withdraw without violence spreading in the region.

We have many valid disagreements with Syria and Iran, but refusing to talk to them is certainly not the way to iron out those differences. The Bush Middle East policy has been to demand that other countries agree with us. This was always unworkable, and now has become laughable. You cannot reach agreement with someone that you refuse to talk with.

Perhaps with the impetus of a Democratically-controlled Congress, Bush will begin to listen to reason, and change his futile Iraq policy.