White House Losing Grip on Iraq

As concerns rise about the mounting death toll and lack of planning in Iraq, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold hearings beginning today to determine how America got into the mess in Iraq and how it will get out. While concern about the situation crosses party lines, the Bush administration has been slow to commit its members to appear before the committee.

• The chaos in Iraq is a direct result of the Bush administration's failure to adequately plan for post-war actions. President Bush and his national security team assured the world that Iraq would be a swift and easy mission where U.S. troops would be greeted as liberators. This assessment proved dead wrong and is now costing Americans greatly in terms of lives, funding and international support.
• The administration's "coalition of the willing" is quickly unraveling meaning more burdens on American troops. President Bush's coalition seems less than committed to his long range plans in Iraq. Spain and Honduras have announced plans to withdraw troops as soon as possible, with Poland also considering withdrawal. Lacking troop support from other countries, about 20,000 American soldiers who were due to come home will now have their tours extended, breaking a Pentagon commitment to limit assignments in Iraq to 12 months.
• The lack of planning is now forcing the Bush administration to spend nearly one quarter of Iraqi reconstruction grants on private security firms. As the New York Times reports, a huge chunk of the money allotted for building schools, electrical lines, and water treatment facilities in Iraq is now being spent on private mercenaries. At a time when U.S. soldiers are forced into prolonged service in Iraq at low pay, the Bush administration is spending up to $1,500 per day for one private security worker.

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