Now that the Kuhl campaign has finally finished populating its issues page, Randy's position on the War on Terror no longer links to a void. It also shows that someone in his campaign has learned from the drubbing that it received from General (ret.) Batiste.
Unfortunately for the Kuhl campaign, they've got miles to go before they arrive at a position statement that acknowledges the basic reality of the situation in Iraq.
First, the good news for Randy. His new page does not repeat this breathtaking inanity, which Kuhl uttered shortly after his return from Iraq earlier this month:
Once you get through the apprehension, it really isn't bad. You can almost forget you're in a war zone.
Instead, Randy's official take on his trip is more measured:
I am cautiously optimistic about where we are headed. I was able to meet and speak to some brave men and women from our area that are serving our nation in Iraq and speak with the military commanders about the current outlook for a peaceful end to this long, hard struggle for freedom.
At least this second quote leaves one with the impression that Randy actually traveled to Iraq.
Now, the bad news. His overall position on Iraq is still out of touch with what 29th voters are seeing every day on television, not to mention the recent assessment of respected leaders in his own party. Here's Randy's view:
The new government of Iraq is continuing to make progress, with the Iraqi Security Force due to take over security in all 18 Iraqi provinces by the end of the year, alleviating the burden of the United States and Multinational Forces. The Iraqi Army and police forces’ increased participation has contributed to security and stability, which has, in turn, sustained Iraq's political progress.
Well, that's one man's opinion. Here's another Republican's take on the Iraqi army and police:
...[The Army is] doing a lot better job than they had in the past. The question is, is can they do the job completely, and the answer is no. When American troops are with them, they perform far better than by themselves. There are Iraqi battalions which are excellent, there are some that are poor.
But we—but the real problem is not so much the army as the police. The police have been taken over by militias in many areas of the country, whether it be Basra or others. That, combined with, with an Iranian influence, particularly in the southern region, leads to a very, very difficult situation. And when we move troops from one place to another, it’s not clear and hold, it’s clear and leave. And that never worked...
That was John McCain's speaking yesterday on Meet the Press. A member of McCain's "kitchen cabinet", General (ret.) Barry McCaffrey, who also appeared on that program, was a bit more blunt in his assessment of the Iraqi Army:
Well, first of all, it’s miserably underresourced, which—a shortcoming I’ve articulated over on the Hill now and to the administration. These Iraqi security battalions have 20, 30 light trucks, light automatic weapons. There’s no plan to build a force which would be capable of, of replacing us. So I think our strategy is flawed.
McCain is one of the strongest supporters of the war in Iraq, and McCaffrey has years of experience in command. These are hardly the voices of inexperienced or biased observers, and I'm sure that any 29th voter who heard them yesterday would find Randy's blithe confidence in the Iraqi army and police more than a little hard to swallow.
As for the notion that the increased partcipation of the Iraqi army and police has "contributed to security and stability", let's take a closer look at July's statistics. The month that was just ending during Randy's visit saw the highest civilian death toll since the U.S. invasion. July's roughly 3,500 deaths was a 9% increase over June, double the rate of January, and more than three times the total deaths on both sides of the Israel/Lebanon war.
Randy's prediction of "continued progress" towards "security and stability" in Iraq is an insult to the intelligence of anyone in the 29th who has opened a newspaper or turned on a television in the last month. His Iraq strategy needs a complete overhaul if he's going to have a shred of credibility on this issue.