One of Ours

...we will have exponentially magnified the mistakes made in Abu Ghraib if we allow these abuses to destroy our goal of a free and democratic Iraq. Success in Iraq remains possible, and it is more necessary now than ever...

...we must begin with an immediate and significant increase in our troop levels. We should sharply increase the number of troops, including Marines and Special Operations forces, to conduct offensive operations, and add other types of forces, including linguists, intelligence officers and civil affairs officers...

...Our retreat from Fallujah has emboldened the insurgents and convinced some Iraqis that America lacks the will or the means to enforce its demands. While it is difficult to criticize tactical decisions from Washington, our personnel in Iraq must show the determination to keep their promises. Our troops can display full resolve only by exercising the military action necessary to back up the words of political authorities. Part of this determination must mean a quick end to all independent militias in Iraq...

[...]

...The handover should represent a short-term transfer of sovereignty to a caretaker government that will quickly pave the way for elections. No Iraqi government can derive legitimacy simply through selection by the United Nations or the United States. Real legitimacy is derived only from the free choice of the Iraqi people.

For this reason, we should strongly consider moving up the date of the planned elections from January to this fall. Iraqis currently have little opportunity to turn their political desires into government decisions, and Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish Iraqis all fear losing out in a political process dominated by outsiders. In this atmosphere, some have turned to violence, and more may follow. The political focus in Iraq should revolve around waging and winning elections, not around currying favor with or opposing the United Nations and the United States. Accordingly, the United States and the United Nations should move ahead as quickly as possible with a full plan for democratic elections, one that will ensure that Iraqi liberals can compete fairly in local constituencies with Islamists organized nationally.

In Iraq our national security interests and our national values converge. Iraq is the test of a generation, for America and for our role in the world. We will endure setbacks, as the past weeks have painfully illustrated. But our focus must remain on our ultimate objective: helping to fashion a responsible and representative Iraqi government, with legitimacy in the eyes of Iraqis and the world. We do not have the luxury of time.