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Monday, November 5, 2007
TIME TO REFOCUS AND REASSESS IRAQ'S PROGRESS

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki must be a shrewd politician. When he came under fire for failing to meet benchmarks, he was able to change the topic to criticism of private security firms like Blackwater.
 
We definitely need to hold Blackwater and its government overseers responsible for their actions. The allegations are serious and need to be addressed. Oversight needs to be tightened. Action should be taken to ensure that security needs are being met and force is used only when necessary.
 
But what is happening here is the Iraqi government has successfully shifted the focus of the debate from their failures to meet benchmarks to the Blackwater matter. As I pointed out in a speech on the Senate floor last week, we need to refocus. We must bring the focus of the debate about Iraq back to Iraq – specifically the Iraqi government's continuing failures to meet benchmarks for progress on political, military and security matters.
 
In September, the GAO review indicated that only three of the 18 benchmarks had been met, four had been partially met and eleven had not been met. In late October, the GAO reported specifically on the 8 political benchmarks pointing out that Iraq had only fully met one, to protect minority rights in parliament, and partially met another, to enact legislation on the formation of regions. The other six remain unmet. 
 
I worked hard to help establish the benchmarks and make sure that the Administration was required to use them to measure progress. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I was able to negotiate the inclusion of the benchmarks in the most recent supplemental funding bill for the war.
 
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee I have traveled to Iraq four times to meet with U.S. troops and Iraqi political leaders, including twice this year. In September when I was there I delivered the message that time is running out on the "blank check" policy the Administration seems to have implemented in Iraq. I have told Iraqi leaders that the "cycle of dependence” cannot continue indefinitely. Nevertheless, Iraq's political leaders remain entrenched.
 
If they continue to fail to make progress and meet the benchmarks, we will need to reassess what our future role might be in Iraq. We can't sustain this pace forever. Our soldiers deserve better. Our taxpayers deserve better. And the Iraqi people deserve better from their own government than the failed leadership they have shown to date.
 
Those who called for another six months to allow more time to meet the benchmarks got what they wanted. The question is when will we get what we want? When will Iraq step up and take over? When will we be able to bring most of our troops home? When will the cycle of dependence end?
 
The answers to these questions lie in the benchmarks we established. Progress on the benchmarks can give us a timeframe for the future. Lack of progress on the benchmarks could extend our commitment indefinitely if we allow it to continue.

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