Back from Iraq, Webb calls for reduction of U.S. forces
Dale Eisman, the Virginian-Pilot
Dec. 1–American troops “have done what they were asked to do” to stem the tide of insurgent attacks across Iraq and “it’s time for us to start getting the Iraqis to move forward,” U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said in telephone news conference today.
Talking with reporters this morning after returning from a two-day visit to Iraq, Webb said his trip strengthened his philosophy that “we need to work for a dramatic reduction” in the U.S. military presence there.
Webb said that while he found signs of military progress, the Iraqi government continues to lag in taking responsibility for security and for rebuilding a country devastated by five years of war. He described U.S. military and diplomatic authorities as “cautiously optimistic” about Iraq’s future.
But, he added, “I don’t think anybody is saying…that they think the turning point has been reached.”
Iraqi leaders show little appreciation for the toll the war has taken on the U.S. military or economy, Webb suggested. And though Iraq’s oil revenues are up, “they’re looking for us to pay” the costs of reconstruction, he said.
Webb added that while Iraq’s leaders are moving too slowly to take charge of the country, the Bush administration “is rolling this country into a generations-long commitment” to maintain a substantial U.S. military presence there.
He accused the administration of practicing “gamesmanship” in a series of recent threats to begin preparations for civilian layoffs and contract cancelations in the Defense Department unless Congress acts quickly to approve additional funds for the war.
“Nobody is going to be hurt by having this debate go on for another month or so,” Webb said. Spending controls are the only way lawmakers can exert pressure to force a withdrawal from Iraq, he said, and the administration is trying to avoid them.. Webb’s trip, with fellow Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., included visits with U.S. troops in Kuwait, the Baghdad area, and Al-Anbar province, north and west of Baghdad.
The Virginia senator’s son, a Marine Corps infantryman, fought in Al-Anbar last year, part of an offensive that saw American forces team up with Sunni tribal leaders to break up what had been a stronghold for Al Qaeda fighters.
Webb said the visit gave him a greater appreciation for what the Marines faced in those battles and for the toll the war effort continues to take on U.S. forces. Troops he met along the way repeatedly brought up the length of their deployments and relatively the short breaks between deployments as concerns, he said.
Webb’s first year in the Senate has included a high-profile but so far unsuccessful fight for “dwell time” requirements that would force military leaders to lengthen the time troops spend at their home bases between deployments overseas.
Webb will appear on nationally televised talk shows tomorrow morning to discuss his Iraq trip.