Give Petraeus a chance in Iraq

The latest showdown between Congress and President Bush on the war in Iraq is rapidly approaching ?High Noon.?

Last Wednesday, the House passed legislation that would appropriate $124.2 billion to fund the war. However, the bill would require U.S. troop withdrawals to begin this Oct. 1 ? or even before if the Iraqi government fails to meet certain benchmarks. It also sets a ?non-binding goal? of completing the U.S. troop withdrawal by April 1, 2008. The bill does allow for some U.S. forces to remain in Iraq to conduct ?non-combat? missions, such as training Iraqi forces.

Apparently, these non-combat missions include ?attacking terrorist networks.? This begs the question of how will these networks be attacked? With kindness? I doubt it.

Instead, these kinds of missions are best accomplished by special operations forces, with much reliance on human intelligence and other means of detection and intervention, including direct combat with the terrorists.

The House vote followed predictable party lines, with few exceptions. For example, four out of five Democratic House members from Tennessee voted for the bill. Our own Lincoln Davis was the sole Democratic dissenter. Meanwhile, all four Republican House members from Tennessee voted against the bill.

Last Thursday, the Senate quickly passed its bill, 51-46, again largely along party lines. Now the war funding bill, complete with troop withdrawal timelines, is on its way to a certain veto by President Bush. It is not just ?dead on arrival? at the White House ? it is dead before arrival. Moreover, Congress clearly lacks the votes needed to override the president?s veto.

Ironically, much of all this House and Senate hoopla occurred as the president?s top U.S. commander in Iraq was back in D.C. to make his case. Gen. David Petraeus went to the White House and to Capitol Hill to deliver his assessment:

The new ?surge strategy? in Iraq is yielding mixed results. For example, sectarian killings in Baghdad have dropped to about a third of those occurring in January, before the surge began. He called progress in strife-torn Anbar province ?breathtaking,? and said he thought Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki was ?doing his best? to lead the country. However, he candidly admitted ?the ability of al-Qaida to conduct horrific, sensational attacks obviously has represented a setback.?

Gen. Petraeus added that the new surge strategy in Iraq has barely begun and needs more time to work. He also reiterated his view that military progress in Iraq is necessary, but not sufficient, to achieving security and stability there. The Iraqis must do their part, soon, to determine their own destiny.

Gen. Petraeus has promised President Bush and Congress his best efforts and the best efforts of those under his command to make the new strategy work. I believe he deserves a chance to keep that promise. After President Bush vetoes the troop withdrawal bill, maybe Congress can come up with a compromise bill that sends a unified message President Bush can sign: Give General Petraeus a chance.

Thomas B. Vaughn is an instructor at Motlow College and co-host of the radio show ?Viewpoints,? which airs on WCPI 91.3 FM.