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Occasionally an opinion essay will be published, as is the case this week. Publication of an essay does not necessarily imply endorsement of the opinion(s) expressed. Opinion essay submissions from all viewpoints are welcome and may be emailed to mike@mikefergusononline.com for consideration.

(from Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s "EC in DC" Newsletter)

Yesterday (January 10^th) marked exactly one year after the President announced that he would significantly increase the number of troops deployed to Iraq.

The "surge", as it was called by most accounts, has helped reduce the violence in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq. This is a tribute to our young men and women in uniform, who once again were asked to do what seemed impossible and responded — as they always have, with inspired bravery and tenacity. The decrease in violence in and around Baghdad is a victory whose laurels belong solely to our soldiers and their commanders.

We should never forget in our disagreements about this war, whatever our personal opinion, our men and women in uniform have done everything they have been asked to do and more. They should be congratulated. They have performed magnificently.

Some of them are serving their third and fourth tours in Iraq — away from their families and in harm's way. Many have come home with injuries that have changed their lives. Many more will only realize the effects their experiences will have on them much later. The burden of this war and of this surge has been shouldered by our military and their families. We owe them everything we can do to honor their service and bring them home safe.

Sadly, despite all the security progress, the ultimate objective -- national reconciliation between Iraq's three major ethnic and sectarian groups -- remains as distant as ever.

It seems 30,000 more lives put in harm's way has not been enough to convince Iraq's political leaders to make the hard decisions that are needed. As laid out by the President one year ago, reconciliation would be signaled by the passage by Iraq's National Assembly of key legislative benchmarks, including a reform of the de-Ba'athification program; an oil law that would ensure equitable distribution of the revenue gained from Iraq's energy resources; and constitutional reforms that, among other things, would result in provincial elections in 2007.

None of those benchmarks have been met.

Government corruption is rampant, and all of the benchmark laws have stalled over lack of consensus on what kind of country Iraq should be. There is no agreement on what we would call "states' rights". And in the absence of progress, it's not clear what levels of government are responsible for what.

The situation is so dire and discouraging that even the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani refused to bless parliamentarians who recently went on the pilgrimage to Mecca, saying they had far more important work to be done in Iraq.

Our military, despite their willingness to tackle any challenge, cannot force the Iraqi government to do what is in the best interest of its people. They have created the environment that everyone said was necessary to move forward, and yet political progress is not being made.

I do not know what the secret formula is to make Iraqi politicians do what is best for the people they represent, but I do know that the people I represent are tired of their inaction. The people I represent are kind and generous, patient and patriotic, but they are not fools. We have been asked time and time again for one more chance. We have been told one more year, one more strategy, one more soldier's life will make the difference. It has not.

Our soldiers bought time for the Iraqi government, and paid for it with their blood. That time has been squandered. We should not continue to ask our men and women in the field to fight for peace in Iraq if Iraqis are unwilling to fight for peace for themselves.

Thank you for subscribing to "EC from DC." Your thoughts and comments are very important to me. If you have any suggestions on how to improve "EC from DC" or thoughts on a matter concerning you, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Emanuel Cleaver, II

Member of Congress