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November 11, 2003
President's Lack of Exit Strategy in Iraq Undermines Clarity of PositionPresident Bush has not articulated a clear exit strategy for American forces in Iraq, saying simply that "our forces will be coming home as soon as their work is done."1 Back in 2000, however, candidate Bush criticized the Clinton administration's military deployments and touted the "Powell doctrine," which he articulated as, "The force must be strong enough so that the mission can be accomplished. And the exit strategy needs to be well-defined."2 Then-Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said in July "There's no question there's an exit strategy. The exit strategy is ...that we will see this mission through, to complete the mission so that Iraq can be stable, that Iraq can be secure, that Iraq is on a path to democracy."3 Two months later, however, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld described the exit strategy as"pass[ing] off to [Iraqis] political responsibility for their country . . . and see[ing] that they assume more and more of that responsibility as fast as they're capable of doing it. That's our goal. And the same thing's true with respect to security. That's our exit strategy."4 Yesterday Rumsfeld again redefined the plan, saying, "Our exit strategy in Iraq is success. It's that simple."5 Meanwhile, both Republicans and Democrats have called for a clear plan, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who said in September, "It's important to have an...exit strategy."6 Rumsfeld's latest comments come less than a week after the Pentagon announced new troop deployments and reserve call-ups amid intensified attacks in Iraq and the second downing of an Army helicopter in as many weeks. Sources:
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