Israel Matzav

Glick: Why US withdrawal from Iraq is bad for Israel

In Friday's Jerusalem Post, Caroline Glick's column was mostly about how the US media is misportraying the events in Iraq in a bid to undermine President Bush's policy there. What's curious about this is that, according to Glick, the State Department is actually behind much of the misinformation. That's not all they're behind either. Glick says that it is none other than Condaleeza Rice who has prevented John Bolton's confirmation as UN Ambassador, and as a result, Bolton may lose the position next month.

According to Glick, Israel has a lot to lose if the US leaves Iraq:

For Israel, the results of the American debate over the future of the war in Iraq are of critical importance. A US retreat will place Israel in grave danger. The eastern front, whose demise the military "experts" were quick to announce in 2003 to justify slashing the defense budget, will make a comeback - replete with massive quantities of arms and tens of thousands of trained jihadi soldiers who will believe that they just won their jihad against the US. Moreover, if the US retreats, the IDF will find itself facing a US-armed and trained Shi'ite army. That is, if the US withdraws, Israel could potentially find itself facing an enemy force better trained and equipped than the IDF.

The leaders of the Democratic Party today compete amongst themselves to see who can be more defeatist. If in the November 7 elections the Democrats take control of both houses of Congress, or even just one of them, the push for a US retreat will grow stronger.

Whatever the results of the elections, Israel must hope that for his last two years in office, President Bush will take firm control of his administration - first and foremost by curbing Rice and her State Department associates - and lead a concerted, unabashed diplomatic and public opinion offensive.

If Bush does this, he will gain wide public support and sufficient support from the international community to move ahead in the war.

If Bush does not take control of his administration, the Vietnam War analogy will become an accurate one for Iraq, and Israel will find itself playing the role of Cambodia.

Read the whole thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:17 PM