Iraq is a Broken Stool

Barry McCaffrey was in Kansas City for a speech yesterday. Here's some of what he had to say:

What sort of evolution do you see to the war in Iraq?

We’re in trouble.

The American people walked away from the war. I don’t think they’re coming back. Iraq’s neighbors are bearing no good will toward a favorable outcome in Iraq.

The Iraqi government in power is dysfunctional. There is essentially no province in Iraq where the central government holds sway. It’s not true in the Kurdish areas. … It’s not true in Basra, where there’s a struggle for power among the Shiites, it’s essentially not true in any part of the country.

As has been said, to achieve success in Iraq, a three-legged strategy of increased security, economic progress and political stability must be pursued. I've seen no evidence of any real economic progress or political stability.

Here are some previous comments by McCaffrey:

July 2005:

Iraq rebel attacks will peak in six months and US troops can begin withdrawing in a year, retired US general Barry McCaffrey told Congress Monday.

"January through September 2006 will be the peak period of the insurgency and the bottom rung of the new Iraq," McCaffrey told the Senate foreign relations committee.

December 2006:

Our objective should be a large-scale U.S. military withdrawal within the next 36 months, leaving in place an Iraqi government in a stable and mostly peaceful country that does not threaten its six neighboring states and does not intend to possess weapons of mass destruction.