Don’t Give Iran and Syria a Seat at the Table

Stability in the Middle East, including Iraq, directly affects the security of the United States. While we will continue to do our best to work with the Iraqi people to secure a stable foothold for democracy in their country; ultimately, the choice of whether or not this democracy will succeed is up to the Iraqis themselves.

I have a great deal of respect for the distinguished public servants of the Iraq Study Group, and I appreciate their hard work on this difficult subject. Their recommendations show thoughtful consideration that should be taken to heart by both the President and the Congress. I agree with a number of those recommendations, such as rejection of any permanent U.S. bases in Iraq and rejection of proposals to partition Iraq, which would stoke the fires of sectarian violence. And, I am encouraged by their projection that transition to Iraqi responsibility for security could begin in as soon as a year from now.

I do have real reservations about their recommendation to directly engage Iran and Syria in negotiations. We should continue to seek resolution to the very serious issues we face with both rogue nations, but they have shown no commitment to diplomacy or even discussion with the US on any front. As Sen. Joe Lieberman aptly stated: ‘Asking Iran and Syria to help us to succeed in Iraq is like your local fire department asking a couple of arsonists to help put out the fire. These people are flaming the fire.’