Democratic Leaders Urge Bush Not To Leave Iraq Quagmire For Next President

In a letter sent to President Bush today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), joined by other Democratic leaders, are urging the president to seek a bipartisan solution to the problems in Iraq rather than simply leaving  it for the next Commander-in-Chief to resolve.

The Democrats are suggesting a four-point solution to the current situation in Iraq and the Middle East at large: 1) the United States "must urgently seek political accommodation among Iraqis and transition the U.S. mission in Iraq"; 2) Bush must return American armed forces to the highest state of readiness in order to deal with future military conflicts; 3) do more to stabilize both Afghanistan and Pakistan; and 4) he must "tackle broader challenges of regional stability" by addressing the threat posed by Iran, as well work

With Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker scheduled to testify before House and Senate committees next week on the situation inside that troubled country, Pelosi and Reid are urging Bush to revise his war policy and begin to "transition" U.S. forces from Iraq. They also want him to renew a diplomatic initiative with Iran and seek means to strengthen Israel's security.

The Democrats also took a veiled shot at Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presumptive GOP presidential candidate and strong supporter of Bush's handling of Iraq, for suggesting that U.S. forces may remain there for decades to come.

"We are deeply concerned that you and the congressional Republican leadership are intent on staying the current course throughout your Administration and then handing the Iraq war off to future presidents," the Democratic leaders wrote. "Indeed, some in your party have indicated we should be prepared to stay in Iraq for fifty or even one hundred years. That would only compound the damage done to our national security by years of flawed Iraq policies."

Pelosi, Reid and the other Democrats said Bush must do more to pressure the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to bring about political reconciliation within Iraq in order to lessen future sectarian struggles there, and they warned the White House not to agree to any long-term security deals with Iraq without congressional approval.
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