Madam, - Charles Krauthammer (Opinion, December 18th) finds the Iraq Study Group Report to be "ridiculous", "dismissible", and a "farce". He should consider his own record as armchair general and amateur statesman.
At least this group visited Iraq and weighed the alternatives. James Baker was secretary of state and Lee Hamilton a congressman when American presidents were winning wars. What exactly has Charles Krauthammer in his record that makes him capable of giving a credible critique of this report? One recalls his cheerleading for the Iraq war in the first place, not to mention Lebanon 2006, another inglorious episode in the "war on terror".
The report is deficient in some respects, but it goes to the heart of the Middle East problem by seeking to reopen realistic Israeli-Arab dialogue. Both the elder Bush and Clinton administrations made decent efforts to end the Palestinian imbroglio. It is time this administration admitted that the diversion into military adventures has been disastrous for both the Middle East and the United States.
Mr Krauthammer's own preference is to go after Motqada al-Sadr, apparently the major obstacle on the path to peace. He believes the US should pour in troops to suppress al-Sadr's militia, which entails (though Krauthammer does not admit it) an assault on the Shia stronghold of Sadr City (population 2.5 million). This would cause massive civilian casualties.
And have we not heard all this before? Krauthammer's plan is just Iraq 2003 updated to 2006. In 2003, Saddam Hussein was the obstacle. Remove him, Krauthammer and his ilk assured us, and the way would be clear to a democratic Middle East, dancing in the streets, etc. Now al-Sadr is a new version of the same bogeynan. To remove him, Krauthammer wants to create a bigger civil war than exists already, without any regard to the consequences of failure, which will mostly be suffered by Iraqis.
It is clear that if this leads to a conflagration, he wants the US to withdraw, leaving the Iraqis to their fate. This is a last, desperate throw of the military dice. Unfortunately the record of the Bush administration suggests that it may well do something as foolish and reckless as this. - Yours etc.
TOBY JOYCE, Navan, Co Meath.