James Baker and Lee Hamilton Search for Answers

November 6, 2006

Update: The full report from the Iraq Study Group is available here and for purchase here.

Long before the mid-term elections of November 2006, the national debate over U.S. military involvement in Iraq was trapped in quicksand. President Bush and his supporters seemed set on prosecuting the war, with little change in strategy, for a very long time. And they were quick to say anyone who supported almost any alternative was advocating a "cut and run" plan.

Meanwhile opponents of the president could easily articulate all the things which went wrong in promoting the war and in the ongoing fighting, but there was limited consensus on any action beyond opposing the "stay the course" plan.

A New Path

Into this breach comes the "Iraq Study Group." This bi-partisan, independent committee is chaired by former Secretary of State James A. Baker and former Congressman and 9/11 Commission Vice Chair Lee Hamilton. The group was organized by Congress and facilitated by the United States Institute of Peace.

Their goal is to offer an independent assessment of the situation in Iraq and policy advice on how to go forward. Media speculation says the group will recommend ways to withdraw U.S. forces and may call for the U.S. to begin direct cooperation with Syria and Iran on stabilizing Iraq. A story from Fox News says, "Early reports...suggest Baker's commission could give the president political cover to start pursuing an exit strategy out of the troubled country."

Members

The other members (four Republicans and four Democrats) are:

• Robert Gates, former CIA Director (stepped down after nomination for Secretary of Defense)
• Edwin Meese, former U.S. Attorney General
• Sandra Day O'Connor, former Supreme Court Justice
• Alan Simpson, former Wyoming Senator
• Vernon Jordan, Jr., businessman
• Leon Panetta, former White House Chief of Staff
• William Perry, former U.S. Secretary of Defense
• Charles Robb, former Virginia Senator and Governor

The group has not yet set a firm date for releasing their final report, but many expect to see it in mid-November.

More Resources

• Official site of the Iraq Study Group
• Wikipedia entry on the Iraq Study Group
• Iraq Study Group: Blessing or Curse for Bush Administration?, from Fox News
• "No Easy Solution" in Iraq Says Study Group Co-Chair Lee Hamilton, from DePauw University News
• Iraq Study Group Could Change U.S. Policy, from the Times of London