"Winning" in Iraq - the lesson of al-Radhi

Let's assume for a moment that there actually is some future gain in Iraq for America that is worth the effort. That is, let's assume that there is a possibility of "winning" in Iraq and it is just that we have not been permitted to know what the true goal that constitutes winning is.

The route to such "winning" must include successful reconstruction of Iraq after the destruction we created by invading. That's obvious, right?

For all the so-called "good news" out of Iraq regarding the schools and hospitals that have been rebuilt, nothing has lasted. Why? An Iraqi corruption judge, Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, the former head of the Iraqi Commission on Public Integrity, has explained to Congress in October, 2007 why reconstruction has not worked. Reconstruction has been totally stopped by the corruption of the al Maliki government.

al-Radhi, who is now seeking asylum in the U.S., stated that a whopping $18 billion has been lost to thieves in "nearly every ministry." (That's not the U.S.-provided Iraqi Relief and Reconstruction Fund.) Corruption, he said, is not just getting worse, but has "stopped" reconstruction efforts.

Clearly a logical, rational person who wanted to "win" in Iraq would take rapid action to deal with the corruption that was blocking reconstruction there.

Rather than dealing with the corruption, the Bush administration has practiced the tactic of shooting the messenger. The Bush administration places a higher priority on preventing the American public from learning that Iraq Reconstruction is being blocked by the corruption of the government of al Maliki than it does on winning in Iraq. They appear to view the reputation of al Maliki to be critical to the reputation of the the Bush administration.

Former State Department officials told Congress earlier this week that, though Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, the former head of the Iraqi Commission on Public Integrity, was able to get access into the U.S., he is not allowed to work and is living hand to mouth. Why has he fallen through the cracks? [Snip]

One of the former officials testified that "a senior State Department official had ordered agency employees not to give al Radhi references or contact him" for help with his asylum.

That might have a lot to do with the trouble that Radhi gave Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the administration. Like pointing out that corruption ran rampant under Maliki and that he'd jiggered the system so that corruption judges could not bring charges against any of his senior officials without his approval -- that was a decree on which Secretary of State Rice refused to pass judgment when she testified late last year. Rice also refused to comment on Radhi's many accusations.

It's clear that the the corruption in Iraq is matched by the corruption of the Bush administration. It's also clear that even if there were something that America could win in Iraq, this administration is making no real effort to do so. The conclusion should be that they have decided that since Iraq is unwinnable, all they want to do is avoid looking like they have failed in Iraq. That's the only reason possible why appearance is more important than success to them. They know success is impossible.