Let's clean up this mess before we make another

Frontiersman Editorial Board

Now that the heavy fighting in Iraq is over, according to the Bush Administration, the casualty rate for U.S. forces seems to be on the rise. How does that work? It seems the job in Iraq is far from over, and the administration has said that the rebuilding process will likely take a long time -- and it will also likely involve more violence. That much is to be expected. The frustration at this point stems from how much appears to have been unexpected, or more accurately, un-anticipated.

While the war plans were apparently adequate to accomplish the initial task of ousting Saddam Hussein, the post-war plans appear to be deficient in many ways. The administration insisted from the beginning that the war was as much about liberating the Iraqi people from an oppressive regime as anything. The rhetoric from early on was that the Iraqis would be given the gift of democracy, and that they would choose the government that all Iraqis could live with. It was apparently lost on the administration that, given the violent chasms between the many factions of Iraqi culture, finding a one-size-fits-all government would be no mean task. In fact, the transition team's first couple of efforts to bring satisfactory candidates forward were met with mixed reviews from Iraqis, to say the least.

Now the administration is sending warnings to Iran that the Iranians shouldn't interfere with the government-building process in Iraq. A question on many minds might be, "What government-building process?" It's been slow going all the way, and it shouldn't be any surprise that Iraqis are beginning to respond with violence out of frustration more than anything else. Many Iraqis are understandably happy to be rid of Hussein. It should be remembered, however, that while Iraq was being ruled by a cruel dictator, they also lived in one of the most modern countries in the region. They had good roads and infrastructure -- the power was on and the phones worked most of the time. Iraqis had ready access to food and medicine. Now they do not. The power is still not on in many regions, and the only form of government so far has been a sort of police service provided by U.S. troops. Country building ain't what it used to be.

Caught in the middle of this volatile situation are our troops. They are well-trained and well-equipped to fight a war. They are not trained or prepared to be a long-term police force, though, and their lack of training in that area may actually lead to increased tension. In short, the situation in Iraq is becoming intolerable for the people we set out to liberate, and for our troops who did their job and now must do someone else's. Before the administration sets out to continue the war on terrorism in other countries, we hope it will clean up the mess in Iraq.