McCain says he'll propose benchmarks for Iraq

CNN ^ | January 26, 2007 | CNN

[IntelliQuark]

Sen. John McCain, a leading advocate of sending more U.S. troops to Iraq, said Thursday he'll try to blunt the impact of proposed Senate resolutions opposing a buildup with a new resolution of his own.

McCain, an Arizona Republican, said he will propose benchmarks for Iraq's government to meet as part of the new push, and he also will seek to increase congressional oversight of the war.

"One of the areas we really want to work on is setting some benchmarks, so the American people and Congress will know if we're making progress or not," McCain said.

[IntelliQuark]

And what if we don't meet the benchmarks, do we withdraw?

This is ludicrous and damaging.

We must keep doing whatever it takes, however long it takes to not allow the terrorists to take over the Middle East. Failure is NOT an option.

We have been in Germany and S. Korea for how long?!

[NormsRevenge]

How to keep your name in the spotlight?

Benchmarks.

[dighton]

Added keyword grandstanding.

[MNJohnnie]

More then 10,000 signatures in the last 24 hours.



Sign the Pledge! No Support for Republicans who vote with Democrats against Iraq.

http://truthlaidbear.com/thenrscpledge/index.php

18,563 people have signed The Pledge thus far. Will you?


If the United States Senate passes a resolution, non-binding or otherwise, that criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged, and if the Senate does so after the testimony of General Petraeus on January 23 that such a resolution will be an encouragement to the enemy, I will not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. Further, if any Republican senator who votes for such a resolution is a candidate for re-election in 2008, I will not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless the Chairman of that Committee, Senator Ensign, commits in writing that none of the funds of the NRSC will go to support the re-election of any senator supporting the non-binding resolution.

[dirtboy]

About the ONLY reason to consider voting for McCain for Prez would be his support of the war to date.

And now he's sandbagging even that lone positive.

What IS it about the Senate that turns the brains of so many pubbies into mush?

[SolidWood]

Non-binding nonsense.

Go pound sand McCain.

[Eric Blair 2084]

So far the signs are encouraging. PM Maliki doesn't seem to be protecting his political backers in the Shiite Mahdi Army militia.

Sadr City is no longer a safe haven for them. I guess Maliki figured out that being a civilian in a peaceful country is better than being the President of a war zone. So what if Sadr no longer supports him? Maybe I'm expecting too much here...a politician to do what is best for his country and not just for himself. Sometimes we don't even get that here.

[Past Your Eyes]

Well, yeah. The first thing he does is run to a camera to tell everybody about it.

[John D]

McCain, an Arizona Republican

---

Why does the media keep calling him a Republican? He is no more a Republican than clintoon.

[ElectricStrawberry]

Mr. Senator, fund the war or do not fund the war. On everything else, STFU.

[acapesket]

MAN! His office was SOOOO defensive when I called this morning. I asked them to pass along the message that he can kiss the Presidency goodbye.
They hung up on me! Oh, the horror!

[CitizenUSA]

IntelliQuark wrote: "And what if we don't meet the benchmarks, do we withdraw?"

Good question. Does McCain not understand wars aren't run like government bureaucracies? Well, I guess not.

I mean, I can understand a desire to quantify progress. It IS important to show things are heading in the right direction. However, I'm not sure a list of metrics like body counts, ammunition expended, IEDs exploded, etc., is the way to do it. What exactly would be tracked, and what would happen if we didn't meet the goals (like IntelliQuark posted)?

[ASA Vet]

[bnelson44]

Let's wait for the bill to be submitted and read it. (if it really is submitted)

[bnelson44]

Here's a draft:

On Friday, FOX News obtained a version of the proposal, which is printed below.

MCCAIN'S RESOLUTION:

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Commander of Multinational Forces-Iraq should receive from Congress the full support that he deems necessary to carry out his mission.

Whereas, over 137,000 American military personnel are currently serving in Iraq, like thousands of others since March 2003, with the bravery and professionalism consistent with the finest traditions of the United States armed forces, and deserve the support of all Americans;

Whereas, past mistakes in U.S. strategy, combined with other difficulties, have led to a dire security situation in Iraq characterized by insurgent activity and sectarian violence;

Whereas, a failed state in Iraq would present a threat to regional and world peace, and the long-term security interests of the United States are best served by an Iraq that can sustain, govern, and defend itself;

Whereas, no amount of additional U.S. forces can effect this outcome unless the people and government of Iraq take difficult political steps toward reconciliation;

Whereas, these steps must include the fulfillment of military, political, and economic commitments that the Prime Minister of Iraq has made to the United States of America and to the people of Iraq;

Whereas, Iraqi political leaders must show visible progress toward meeting specific benchmarks, including:

(1) Deploying a significant number of new Iraqi security forces to partner with U.S. units in securing Baghdad;

(2) Assuming responsibility for security in all provinces in a timely manner;

(3) Disarming individual militias and ensuring security forces are accountable to the central government and loyal to the constitution of Iraq;

(4) Ensuring equitable distribution of government resources regardless of sect or ethnicity;

(5) Passing legislation to ensure that Iraq's oil resources benefit Sunni Arabs, Shia Arabs, Kurds, and other Iraqi citizens in an equitable manner, and implementing such legislation;

(6) Building an effective, independent judiciary that will uphold the rule of law and ensure equal protection under the law for all citizens of Iraq;

(7) Pursuing all those who engage in violence or threaten the security of the Iraqi population, regardless of sect or political affiliation;

(8) Passing and implementing new legislation that will reform the de-Ba'athification process;

(9) Conducting provincial elections;

(10) Ensuring a fair process for amending the constitution of Iraq;

(11) Expending promised funds to provide basic services and employment opportunities for all Iraqis, including a $10 billion fund for reconstruction, and ensuring that these funds reach Sunni areas, including Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad and largely Sunni Anbar Province;

Whereas, leaders in the Administration and Congress have made it clear to the Iraqi leadership that America's commitment is not open-ended and that if the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people and the people of Iraq;

Whereas, the moderate states of the Middle East have an interest in a successful conclusion to the war and Iraq and should increase their constructive assistance toward this end;

Whereas, in the fall of 2006, leaders in the Administration and Congress, as well as recognized experts outside government, acknowledged that the situation in Iraq was deteriorating and required a change in strategy;

Whereas, Lieutenant General David Petraeus has been named as the new Coalition commander in Iraq, and given the mission of implementing a new strategy designed to bring security to Iraq and pave the way for political and economic progress;

Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that —

Congress should ensure that General Petraeus, and all American personnel under his command, have the resources they deem necessary to carry out their mission on behalf of the United States of America; and

The Government of Iraq must make visible, concrete progress toward meeting the political, economic, and military benchmarks enumerated above.

[bnelson44]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,247198,00.html

[CharlesWayneCT]

I'm for private, secret benchmarks that would be used by the military to decide if their plan is working or not, so if it isn't they'll know it isn't and can put together a new plan to win that corrects whatever it is that prevented this plan from working.

I can't imagine anybody in the Senate being able to make useful benchmarks.

I'm wondering what benchmarks they would have used in WW2 to ensure we were making sufficient progress. But I'm positive the Military had a war plan that spelled out their goals and objectives and milestones, and their progress WAS measured against those milestones.

[bnelson44]

This is it, this is all that it is:

Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that —

Congress should ensure that General Petraeus, and all American personnel under his command, have the resources they deem necessary to carry out their mission on behalf of the United States of America; and

The Government of Iraq must make visible, concrete progress toward meeting the political, economic, and military benchmarks enumerated above.

---

That's it, period.

I think I could support this. Can't we all?

[PhiKapMom]

Will someone please tell me when the Senate took over the powers of the Presidency when dealing with foreign affairs?

Getting to the stage I don't want to check my email on AOL because McCain bought ad space at the bottom that rotates. Calls himself a Common Sense Conservative now. Some of us started using those words several weeks ago on here and now I have discontinued that after seeing the McCain ad and am now calling myself a Broken Glass Republican. Maybe FR can sue McCain for using our words?

[CharlesWayneCT]

I'm unhappy with the clause that talks about insurgents and sectarian violence but doesn't mention TERRORISTS or foreign fighters.

I'm not sure all the "benchmarks" are benchmarks, or are necessary to "win", or even are part of the equation of what we would call "winning" -- I don't care how Iraq shares it's oil wealth in the country, OR how much money they spend for reconstruction, so long as the majority of the Iraqi people are happy with the situation and they stop killing us and each other over it.

I wish McCain could replace those 11 "benchmarks" with a simpler, 5-point list of what "victory" looks like to him.

But the operative language I think is good, and it makes it clear that we need to support the on-the-ground general with whatever he asks for.

And it certainly takes the appropriate tack, which is a positive statement of victory and support for the new plan, rather than a pre-judgment of doom and failure before the inevitable running away with our tail between our legs.