The Middle East: Iraq

President Bush's speech last night on Iraq – the first salvo in a public relations campaign meant to substitute for real action – fell short on all fronts. Repackaging the current U.S. approach as a five-step plan is not a substitute for a policy that details how Iraq will be governed, how long American troops will stay there and how much all of this will cost American taxpayers. Thirty-seven days before the transition, the president still cannot describe what the interim Iraqi government will look like. While President Bush claims the interim Iraqi government will have "full sovereignty," he still cannot say who will govern Iraq, how they will govern, what the United States will do to provide legitimacy to the government or what the transition will mean for the rapidly deteriorating security situation there. The administration's proposed U.N. Security Council resolution also fails to provide new details about the transition. The president still will not say how much more money the United States will spend in Iraq or how long our troops will be there. The president would only say last night that the 138,000 troops (23,000 more than his administration had forecast needing) currently in Iraq will stay "as long as necessary." He again failed to tell American taxpayers how much money he plans to spend to implement his plan there. His most recent request for money ($25 billion) will likely only last until January, at which point most experts expect we will need another $70-80 billion. The Iraqi and American people are growing increasingly worried about the direction of U.S. policy in Iraq. A poll released yesterday found that 64 percent of Americans do not believe the president has a clear plan for Iraq. The president's favorability rating on Iraq has fallen to a new low: 40 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the situation there, while 58 percent disapprove. The polls from Iraq are even more troubling: 88 percent of Iraqis view U.S. forces as occupiers rather than liberators and 57 percent would like American troops to leave immediately. Daily Talking Points is a product of the Center for American Progress, a non-partisan research and educational institute committed to progressive principles for a strong, just and free America.