Iraqi Parliament Vacation

Much fuss has been made both in the American media and by our politicians of the month-long summer “vacation” being taken by the Iraqi Parliament. After all, it has been said, our brave soldiers over there aren’t getting any vacations: they are putting their lives on the line every day, and what do the Iraqi leaders do? Instead of taking up crucial reconciliation legislation, they take off!

On the surface of it, this argument seems powerful enough to add one more good reason for the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq and let them handle their own problems. But consider the following. Except for the U.S. and Coalition military, who goes out openly into Iraqi anymore (besides the Iraqi people themselves, of course)? Where are the families and friends of these “vacationing” Iraqi politicians living, but Iraq itself, which is full of terrorists, insurgents, kidnappers, and miscellaneous people with axes to grind? Where do the Iraqi leaders go on “vacation”? To the French Riviera? Walt Disney World? Wally’s World? No, they go to Iraq, their home country. Some vacation, right? But the way the U.S. media reports it, you’d think they were just copping out on their responsibilities. I wonder how our leaders over here in America would act if, with every decision that was made, there was some armed faction somewhere around with a mile-long list of grievances and grudges ready to exact revenge on any politician (and their loved ones) who dared to vote against their perceived interests? And yet that is the situation that Iraq’s elected leaders find themselves in today, not just having to worry about violence being carried out against them by their political opponents, but also violence being carried out from behind their own “lines” if they should made too bold of a move toward reconciliation with opponents.

As for our soldiers over there, when they finally do get a break, they certainly won’t have to spend it in Iraq! And their families are over here, not there. Yes, while over there, they are certainly in harm’s way and deserve the support and admiration of all of us, regardless of our views about the war itself. But they have a place to come back to when their time of service ends. The Iraqis don’t.

Having said this, I think that the Iraqi Parliament was gravely mistaken in taken their recess this summer. The members, just by dint of being elected, are already marked in public by both their supporters and enemies. The sooner they are able to bring about reconciliation, then the sooner the political process within their beloved nation will be carried out in a more peaceful, constructive manner, with non-violent dissent replacing terror. Now, President Bush has gone to Iraq to try to stir up some action among the politicians there. Hopefully, they’ll respond positively and begin to act to bring their country together in peace.