Rumsfeld exit signals Iraq change
By Peter Matthew,WNS US Senior Correspondent
WASHINGTON - Simply by his passing, the exit of Donald Rumsfeld will do much to change the tone of the debate over Iraq. He had so come to symbolise the failings of US policy in Iraq, had appeared so trenchant and domineering, and had become such a hate figure for the Bush administration's critics, that the arrival of Robert Gates, a very different character without Mr Rumsfeld's political baggage, inevitably offers the prospect of greater flexibility. As well as the arrival of Mr Gates, there are other key changes in US personnel on Iraq in the offing.
The Pentagon's two top generals dealing with the country - General John Abizaid, the head of US Central Command, and General George Casey, in charge in Iraq itself - are both expected to move on in the coming months. So, too, it is thought, may the current US ambassador in Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad. And there is a consensus now that some kind of change is necessary - just not on what that change should be. The anticipated report of the Iraq Study Group, headed by the former US Secretary of State, James Baker, could provide the bipartisan political cover for change. (Mr Gates is a member of the group, suggesting Mr Bush is inclined to listen to its recommendations when they come.) The Pentagon's top brass may also feel freer to offer Mr Gates new options for the US military presence in Iraq than they did Mr Rumsfeld. That all may make the Bush administration more open to the idea of accelerating the phased reduction in the current US troop strength in Iraq. And that could have implications for the British military presence in the south.
The British government faces most of the same pressures - political as well as military - that President Bush and his advisers face. Their shared problem is that the viable options are all limited and risky - and both US and British influence in Iraq itself continues to dwindle. So the prospect of drastic change - particularly in the number of US and British troops deployed in the short term - is not great. And, while Mr Rumsfeld has had huge criticism heaped on his shoulders, there is also plenty of responsibility to be shared around. That does not change with his departure.
posted by wnsworld @ 9:17 AM
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