Here is an e-mail I received today: You've read recently about Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha's attempts to micromanage the Iraq war from the U.S. House. Well, not to be outdone, the Democrats in the U.S. Senate are taking up a resolution today that would force President Bush to withdraw our troops from Iraq whether we have reached our goals or not.
That's a dangerous move, and it's not just Republicans who think so. Two years ago, Senator Hillary Clinton said, "I don't think we should be setting a deadline ... that just gives a green light to the insurgents and the terrorists, that if they just wait us out they can basically have the country." Just two months ago, she reaffirmed her position: "I'm not going to support a specific deadline." Last week, Democrat Senator Evan Bayh said "I, for example, am not in support of circling a date on a calendar and saying, 'No matter what, we're out on that date.'" Democrat Senator Jim Webb agrees: "Anyone who tells you we can set a timetable for withdrawal doesn't understand war."
The experts also say that setting a deadline is a recipe for failure. The government's most recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq concluded that "If Coalition forces were withdrawn ... we judge that this almost certainly would lead to a significant increase in the scale and scope of sectarian conflict in Iraq." Our intelligence experts added, "If such a rapid withdrawal were to take place, we judge that the ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] would be unlikely to survive."
No one wants our brave men and women in uniform to come home as much as President Bush.
But to set a deadline for withdrawal with no consideration of the situation on the ground is a recipe for disaster. It would send the signal to the terrorists in Iraq that all they have to do is wait us out, and then sweep in when we retreat. It would send a signal to our enemies worldwide that we are not serious about the War on Terror. And it would send a signal to our troops that their efforts don't matter.
There is a way to bring our men and women home, and that is to help them achieve their goals. That's why the President is beefing up security in Baghdad, changing the way we interact and train Iraqi troops, and making sure the Iraqi government lives up to its responsibilities. It is these steps that will lead to an end to the war, not on the terrorists' terms, but on our terms.
Contact your Senators today. Tell them to oppose the Democrats' attempt to micromanage the war. Tell them that we cannot leave Iraq in the hands of terrorists.
Thank you.
Sincerely,Robert M. (Mike) Duncan Chairman, Republican National Committee