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A push for new Iraq strategy — now

The U.S. needs a new strategy for Iraq that sets goals and objectives — and a plan for achieving them — and it shouldn’t wait for a new commander in chief to be sworn in, the head of a congressional watchdog agency said July 23.

But taking such action could be difficult in light of the partisan divide over what should happen next as U.S. troop strength in Iraq returns to pre-surge levels.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who recently made a highly publicized visit to Iraq and Afghanistan, remains fixed on his plan to withdraw the bulk of U.S. combat forces from Iraq within 16 months of taking office if he is elected.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential candidate, remains opposed to a fixed timetable for withdrawal, calling it dangerous, but suggests he could have combat troops out of Iraq by the end of his first term if he is elected.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, negotiating a long-term agreement with the U.S. on what forces should stay in his country, talks of needing U.S. combat troops to provide security through the end of 2010. The White House says it is trying to reach agreement on a “time horizon,” which spokeswoman Dana Perino said is an “aspirational goal” and nothing like the timetables that the Bush administration opposes.

In the face of those political crosscurrents, Gene Dodaro, acting U.S. Comptroller General, told the House Armed Services Committee that a new Iraq strategy is needed that goes beyond an operational plan for U.S. military forces.

“Much has changed in Iraq since January 2007, when the president announced the New Way Forward,” Dodaro said, referring to President Bush’s announcement of a temporary increase in U.S. forces to increase security and give the Iraqi government breathing room.

“Violence is down, U.S. surge forces are leaving and a new framework for the U.S. presence in Iraq needs to be agreed upon,” Dodaro said.

Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the committee chairman, said he is all for a new Iraq strategy but wonders about the timing.

“I and many others have long been in favor of changing our approach in Iraq,” he said. “For the good of Iraq and the health of our military, we should be finding ways to take advantage of the Iraqi desire for real sovereignty and to hand over more responsibility for their security.”

Skelton said this “would provide a clear path” toward getting combat troops out of Iraq.

Dodaro said he does not support delaying the development of a new Iraq strategy until the next president is sworn in.

“I am a big believer in stewardship,” he said. “We need to have continuity in government. I think it is essential.”

But the committee’s ranking Republican, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, said he sees no point in creating a new strategy because he thinks the current one is working.

Bush’s “New Way Forward,” Hunter said, “has helped to change conditions in Iraq for the better. We are on the right path.”