Lugar is one of our best, in my view, and his thoughts should carry considerable weight. Harkening back to Lieberman's recent article arguing for a substantial surge, I, along with Lugar, apparently, and many Democratic senators, still harbor serious reservations. There is the matter of efficacy: is the situation now so seriously grave and deteriorating that an open civil war is inevitable over which we will have little to no control, and a surge would just send our men into the killing fields? There is the matter possibility: do we even have the troops available to maintain, let alone escalate our effort? And then there is the matter of cost: even assuming an optimal outcome (however that tailored down concept is now defined) would it cost us more than the outcome is worth? All the while, these calculations must be made in the overall context of the conflict with violent, radical Islam, "the main event," and should heavily factor how we can position ourselves for success in that struggle, with or without an "early" withdrawal from Iraq. To this end -- considering these issues and the palpable need for some kind of consensus going forward -- Lugar's idea of a Foreign Relations Committee retreat BEFORE promulgation of Bush's plan, and his implied call for broad amd meaningful overall Congressional consultation are simply the basics of a successful policy formulation and implementation.
