Berman: How To Mitigate Withdrawal’s Consequences?

Berman took a different crack at Tauscher’s question: you think it would be bad if we withdrew from Iraq. What if a new president gets elected on a promise to do just that? What would you recommend to mitigate the consequences you fear?

Petraeus didn’t touch that one. And Crocker tried not to, either. “The whole premise of what General Petraeus and I been involved in since we arrived is looking at conditions, not timelines,” he said. “I’ll say it straight: I don’t see a good way to manage the situation in Iraq that is not conditions-based.”

Berman didn’t like that. “Isn’t it fair for us to ask how to work through” withdrawal? Sure, Crocker said. “It’s a legitimate question. I’m not trying to dodge it.” But he did.