Conditions in Iraq are “grave and deteriorating,” according to a much-anticipated report Wednesday by the Iraq Study Group, which was hailed by Democrats and assailed by some Republicans.
“If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences could be severe,” said the report, written by a bipartisan panel headed by Republican James Baker and Democrat Lee Hamilton. “A slide toward chaos could trigger the collapse of Iraq’s government and a humanitarian catastrophe.”
The White House welcomed the report, even while ruling out one of its most controversial recommendations — the opening of direct talks with Iran. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said such talks cannot occur until Iran abandons its nuclear ambitions.
Baker, who once served as Secretary of State to President George H.W. Bush, urged that president’s son to engage more directly with both Iran and Syria.
“You talk to your enemies, not just your friends,” Baker said. “For 40 years, we talked to the Soviet Union during a time when they were committed to wiping us off the face of the Earth.”
Such talks, followed by a gradual pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq, formed the central recommendations of the study group’s report.
“Our most important recommendations call for new and enhanced diplomatic and political efforts in Iraq and the region, and a change in the primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq that will enable the United States to begin to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly,” the report said.
The recommendations were cheered by Democrats such as Rep. Ben Cardin of Maryland, who next year is expected to become a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“President Bush should immediately change course and accept the report’s recommendation to begin a phased troop withdrawal of combat brigades from Iraq,” Cardin said.
Republican William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard magazine, said the study group’s report was “not a serious document.”
“It’s a deeply irresponsible report,” the influential conservative said on Fox News. “If we follow the recommendations of this report, we would lose the war. That’s the bottom line.”
