Joshua Bolten responds to Senator Harry Reid et al
September 7, 2007
The following arrived in my inbox recently from one of the many political email distribution list to which I subscribe… As a matter of fact – if I am not mistaken, I received it from several times…
Yesterday Joshua Bolten, the President's chief of staff, responded to a September 4th letter sent to the President by a dozen Democrats.
The letter by Senator Reid, Representative Pelosi and ten other
Democrats recites four elements of a proposed "new direction" in
Mr. Bolten points out that three of those elements reflect well-established Administration policy -- and the fourth, beginning to withdraw
The letter by Joshua Bolten is substantive, on point, and worth reading. For more, see below.
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September 5, 2006
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
528 Hart SOB
Dear Senator Reid:
Thank you for your September 4 letter to the President. I am responding on his behalf.
A useful discussion of what we need to do in
In order to achieve this goal, we are pursuing a strategy along three main tracks -- political, economic, and security. Along each of these tracks, we are constantly adjusting our tactics to meet conditions on the ground. We have witnessed both successes and setbacks along the way, which is the story of every war that has been waged and won.
Your letter recites four elements of a proposed new direction in
First, you propose "transitioning the
That is what we are now doing, and have been doing for several years. Our efforts to train the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) have evolved and accelerated over the past three years.
Our military has had substantial success in building the Iraqi Army -- and increasingly we have seen the Iraqi Army take the lead in fighting the enemies of a free
Second, your letter proposes "working with Iraqi leaders to disarm the militias and to develop a broad-based and sustainable political settlement, including amending the Constitution to achieve a fair sharing of power and resources."
You are once again urging that the Bush Administration adopt an approach that has not only been embraced, but is now being executed. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is pursuing a national reconciliation project. It is an undertaking that (a) was devised by the Iraqis; (b) has the support of the
It is in the context of this broad-based, unity government, and the lasting national compact that government is pursuing, that the Iraqis will consider what amendments might be required to the constitution that the Iraqi people adopted last year. On the matter of disarming militias: that is precisely what Prime Minister al-Maliki is working to do. Indeed, Coalition leaders are working with him and his ministers to devise and implement a program to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate members
of militias and other illegal armed groups.
Third, your letter calls for "convening an international conference and contact group to support a political settlement in
The International Compact for
Three of the key proposals found in your letter, then, are already reflected in current
On the fourth element of your proposed new direction, however, we do disagree strongly. Our strategy calls for redeploying troops from
Your proposal is driven by none of these factors; instead, it would have
Because your letter lacks specifics, it is difficult to determine exactly what is contemplated by the phased redeployment you propose. (One such proposal, advanced by Representative Murtha, a signatory to your letter, suggested that
Regardless of the specifics you envision by phased redeployment, any premature withdrawal of U.S forces would have disastrous consequences for
Finally, your letter calls for replacing Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. We strongly disagree.
Secretary Rumsfeld is an honorable and able public servant. Under his leadership, the United States Armed Forces and our allies have overthrown two brutal tyrannies and liberated more than 50 million people. Al Qaeda has suffered tremendous blows.
Secretary Rumsfeld has pursued vigorously the President’s vision for a transformed
We appreciate your stated interest in working with the Administration on policies that honor the sacrifice of our troops and promote our national security, which we believe can be accomplished only through victory in this central front in the War on Terror.
Sincerely,
Joshua B. Bolten
Chief of Staff
Identical Letters Sent To:
The Honorable Harry Reid, Senate Democratic Leader
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader
The Honorable Dick Durbin, Senate Assistant Democratic Leader
The Honorable Steny Hoyer, House Minority Whip
The Honorable Carl Levin, Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee
The Honorable Ike Skelton, Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee
The Honorable Joe Biden, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
The Honorable Tom Lantos, Ranking Member, House International Relations Committee
The Honorable Jay Rockefeller, Vice Chairman, Senate Intelligence Committee
The Honorable Jane Harman, Ranking Member, House Intelligence Committee
The Honorable Daniel Inouye, Ranking Member, Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee
The Honorable John Murtha, Ranking Member, House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee
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