Hutchison: Splitting up Iraq should be considered
12:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 18, 2006
By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
dallasnews.com.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison described the situation in Iraq as "chaos" and said Tuesday that it's time to consider splitting the country into semiautonomous regions – an approach she said would boost stability but also require more American troops.
"A year ago I thought we needed more troops. It's harder to say now," said Ms. Hutchison, issuing a tough critique of U.S. policy in Iraq. "Because we've tried to step back and let the security forces take over, but that's not entirely successful. If we went to some kind of different approach, we might need more in the short term."
The Republican, speaking to The Dallas Morning News editorial board, also called for engaging clerics and governments in Iraq's neighboring countries, though she didn't say how that might be accomplished.
"They have a credibility on the sectarian violence that the United States isn't going to have, and they do have an interest in Iraq being stable," she said, adding that she would even welcome help from Iran if its neighbors see a role it might play.
Former Secretary of State James Baker, who heads an advisory panel that is expected to offer suggestions on Iraq to President Bush soon, warned last week that breaking up Iraq along ethnic lines could trigger a civil war. Ms. Hutchison said she had spoken with Mr. Baker and disagrees.
"Yes, it would be hard to do, but it would be worth trying," she said. "People say, 'Well, that would balkanize the country.' Well, things are pretty stable in the Balkans right now. It's looking better than Iraq."
Ms. Hutchison was adamant that the United States not "cut and run" – a phrase she used repeatedly – but said public discontent over escalating violence in Iraq is justified.
"I would say that it's 25 percent that you never hear the good things that are happening, but it's 75 percent that it's chaos over there," she said.
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