The military has put a $25 million bounty for the head of Saddam. Maybe the Pentagon should offer a fat reward to whoever finds the master plan for rebuilding Iraq.
It'll likely go unclaimed. A coherent strategy for democratizing and reconstructing Iraq doesn't exist, or, if it does, it's been Washington's best-kept secret.
In the months preceding the invasion, the Pentagon did a splendid job planning the war but an inadequate job preparing for what was to follow. Given the administration's ingrained disdain toward nation building -- and the lack of anyone important in charge of it -- that inattention was not surprising.
With new admissions of faulty intelligence, the rationale to invade Iraq is looking ever more suspect. Having toppled Saddam, there can be no turning back or, at this point, scaling back, the reconstruction. Bringing stability and freedom to Iraq is essential to security in the region -- and to America's credibility.
Three months after the fall of Baghdad, it's far too early to condemn the U.S. effort as a failure. What is becoming clear, however, is that success will require more money, more time, better planning and possibly more troops. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and General Tommy Franks said this week that the monthly cost of keeping troops in Iraq has doubled to $3.8 billion per month and that the number won't be substantially reduced for the forseeable future.
It will also take more peace-keeping involvement by other countries, though the administration has been loath to admit and hesitant to pursue this.
Since President Bush declared the war over on May 1, more than 70 U.S. soldiers have died -- 31 in combat. Americans are becoming uneasy over the toll and anxious about the future.
If he wants to sustain support at home for rebuilding Iraq, Bush owes Americans his best, most honest assessment about the likely duration and the price of a long-term commitment. He must state the goals clearly and offer a road map to getting there, just as he has in the Mideast. He should do the same for the Iraqis, who have become increasingly agitated over their misery and suspicious over the failure to include them in a transitional government. Bush's offhand comment Thursday on the situation -- ``We're going to have to remain tough'' -- isn't specific enough.
A senior American official told the Mercury News' editorial board that Iraq's electrical grid, sewage and water systems were in far worse condition than the Pentagon expected. Widespread looting and sabotage are hampering U.S. efforts; continuing guerrilla attacks are diverting attention from reconstruction.
So, it's appropriate for Bush to ask Americans for patience. And it's just as appropriate for Americans to ask Bush to level with them -- and to find that missing plan.