Confusion in DC gives the Iraqis room to get their act together

The strategists in Washington, D.C. have been virtually paralyzed as they awaited the much-anticipated Iraq Study Group report. Now that we have the report, it may take another month before the dust settles and people make up their minds what to do about Iraq, not to mention that the Democrats may become quite active and disruptive when they take charge of Congress in January. This level of confusion and chaos may sound like a strong negative for Iraq, but it is actually a strong positive since it gives the Iraqis room and time to get their act together which Washington squabbles. The fate of Iraq is in the hands of the Iraqis, where it belongs. Anything that causes gridlock in Washington over Iraq is a very good thing since it gives the Iraqis a quieter backdrop to do their own thing.

I still strongly suspect that by the end of January we will find the Iraqis becoming more and more adamant that they will make the decisions about how soon and under what conditions U.S. forces will depart from Iraq.

Note: I've spent a fair amount of time poking around Washington on my own, and one of the things that I learned is that the "locals" know that the "C" in D.C. stands not for Columbia, but Confusion: the District of Confusion. That was back in 1990 (the week after Iraq invaded Kuwait), but little has really changed since.

-- Jack Krupansky