Democracy for New Mexico

Bingaman Votes Against Amendment to Bring the Troops Home

As reported by The Nation: "On Thursday, the U.S. Senate decided not to call for the withdrawal of combat troops by year's end when it shelved a measure proposing that "only forces that are critical to completing the mission of standing up Iraqi security forces" remain in Iraq in 2007."

Only six Democratic Senators voted to support the amendment (against tabling it). New Mexico's Senator Bingaman wasn't one of them, despite his vote against the original Iraq War resolution. Apparently, only six Democratic Senators had the gumption to vote in accordance with the wishes of our own troops instead of the spin of Karl Rove:

The February Le Moyne College/Zogby International survey of U.S. troops serving in Iraq found that 72 percent of them thought the United States should end its operations in that country by the end of 2006.

Now granted, this was Sen. Kerry's amendment that was, instead, introduced by Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell. Kerry was reportedly displeased with McConnell for doing so, and Kerry claims he will reintroduce the amendment himself next week. We'll see if the votes change. Regardless, I can't say how strongly I believe that every Democrat must take every opportunity to call the Bush-Rummy-Cheney war team to task and push for an end to this in the most expedient way.

I am so tired of reporting the failures of so many Democrats to represent their constituents, but I believe I must, especially in the case of the Iraq War. With more than 2,500 of our troops killed in Iraq, with almost 20,000 of them wounded, often severely, with who knows how many Iraqi civilians maimed and blasted, with more than ten billion dollars pouring into the rabbit hole each month and going who knows where, you'd think most Democrats would do what they could to end this horror -- to stop the march into perrennial war and permanent Iraq bases. You'd be wrong, obviously.

Do these supposed Democratic representatives of the people have any shred of conscience, morality, compassion or courage to confront the realities of this nightmare and make a stand? Only six in the Senate did:

• Barbara Boxer of California
• Robert Byrd of West Virginia
• Russ Feingold of Wisconsin
• Tom Harkin of Iowa
• Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts
• John Kerry of Massachusetts

The rest were again cowed by Rove's framing, pushed into a corner and reduced to supporting a ruse Karl has used many times, to continuing advantage: if you don't support what I propose, you're -- pick one --  unpatriotic, left-wing, extremist, liberal, cowardly, anti-American, a queer lover, or a godless reprobate. Will these Dems ever learn? Rove sets them up like bowling pins and they stand there every time, waiting for the strike to come rumbling down the alley. Crash. It's real human beings who get hurt, who continue to die horrible deaths, or live without equal civil rights, or or get clobbered by corporatist bankruptcy laws, or whose children and grandchildren will be paying for the cowardice of what they do now. Or fail to do.

Sometimes, words can't express how beaten down we feel, out here waiting for our members of Congress to care about more than reelection or campaign contributions or appeasing the right-wing spinners and hate-mongers. We keep waiting for these Democrats to put the nation and the planet and the people first. On this vote, only six Senators did.

To gain the proper perspective on what those refusing to vote to end this horror are allowing to continue, read 'Iraq's War Porn' by David Swanson, who cofounded the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition. The war photos he mentions, particularly those called War Trophy Photos, are very hard to view, horrendously grotesque. But they may well be what more people need to see when they contemplate the continuation of business as usual in the bloody, awful Iraqi Civil War. Including the Dems who voted NOT to start bringing our troops home.

Better Results in the House
Dems did better in the House on Rove's Iraq War dare, with impassioned speechs by such brave souls as John Murtha:

Murtha, a Vietnam veteran, said it was "easy to stay in an air-conditioned office and say, 'I'm going to stay the course."' He added: "That's why I get so upset when they stand here sanctimoniously and say we're fighting this thing. It's the troops that are doing the fighting."

Nancy Pelosi gave an especially powerful speech on the resolution, saying it's time to face the facts and calling, again, for Rumsfeld's resignation. Excerpts:

The war in Iraq has been a mistake – a grotesque mistake. It must be our resolve to end the war as soon as possible and to resolve to not make similar mistakes in the future. We owe it to the American people and we owe it to the young men and women that we send in to fight the fight.

... As defense and intelligence expert Anthony Cordesman recently wrote: ‘The U.S. aid process has failed…it has wasted at least half of the some $22 billion in U.S. funds and much of the $34.6 billion in Iraq funds it attempted to use to secure and develop Iraq’s economy.’ This is outrageous. Where is the accountability? In fact, Mr. Cordesman concludes that the U.S.-managed Iraq reconstruction efforts have been as failed as our response to Hurricane Katrina.

In the face of all of the incompetence and cost of this war, the President urges us to stay the course. ‘Stay the course,’ Mr. President, is not a strategy, it’s a slogan. I will vote against this resolution because it is an affirmation of President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq. And in doing so, I am pleased to join Mr. Murtha and Mr. Skelton and I salute them for their patriotism and dedication to our country. They are second to none in this Congress in looking out for the troops and for being concerned and knowledgeable about troop readiness, about the strains on our military that this war is putting upon them, and deterring our ability to respond to other threats. I salute them for their leadership and their courage – because here we have the Republicans putting on the floor a vacuous resolution, a challenge that if you want to say you support the troops you have to vote for this – that day is over.

There's a video of speech on Rep. Pelosi's website right now.

I'm very pleased that NM Rep. Tom Udall voted AGAINST the Republican's Rovian Iraq War resolution in the House. If only Sen. Bingaman had done the same on the Senate side.

Pondering Zarqawi

Is anyone else wondering why the U.S. military didn't attempt to capture Zarqawi instead of dropping two 500 pound bombs on his location?  You'd think it would have been worthwhile to surround the house where he was staying and take him alive, given how much valuable information he might be able to provide. Or even to attack the building in a more careful way, to preserve valuable intelligence papers and such that might be inside with him.

Is anyone else appalled at how the U.S. military is crowing in front of large photos Zaraqawi's corpse, with a closeup of his head, and releasing video of the bombs dropping? Aren't we the ones who are horrified about beheadings and other brutal, bloody shows? Why are we acting the same way?

Does anyone else believe that Zarqawi's death won't mean much in terms of quelling what is already a civil war?

Could it be that Zarqawi was given up by his own because someone thought he'd be more valuable as a martyr than as the guy in the video who couldn't operate his weapon?

What's your reaction when you read the critical CNN (see Crooks and Liars for video) and Fox News interviews with Michael Berg whose son Nicholas was beheaded, allegedly by Zarqawi?

Was Zarqawi's power and control exaggerated by BushCo so they could build up another mythic figure, given we haven't caught bin Laden? Was Zarqawi mostly a legend in his own eyes? Consider the information provided by Mary Anne Weaver in her indepth article in the Atlantic Monthly. Also read this April 10, 2006 Washington Post article, which reports on how our military sought to exaggerate Zarqawi's importance using a broadbased propaganda campaign. Excerpt:

The U.S. military is conducting a propaganda campaign to magnify the role of the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, according to internal military documents and officers familiar with the program. The effort has raised his profile in a way that some military intelligence officials believe may have overstated his importance and helped the Bush administration tie the war to the organization responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

For the past two years, U.S. military leaders have been using Iraqi media and other outlets in Baghdad to publicize Zarqawi's role in the insurgency. The documents explicitly list the "U.S. Home Audience" as one of the targets of a broader propaganda campaign.

You can also get more background on Zarqawi compiled by Juan Cole.

Fisk: More Hadithas?

UPDATE: Another British newspaper, The Observer, has a in-depth article about the violent U.S. troop culture in Iraq as it relates to the Haditha murders. Excerpt:

American veterans of the war in Iraq have described a culture of casual violence, revenge and prejudice against Iraqi civilians that has made the killing of innocent bystanders a common occurrence.

Renowned reporter Robert Fisk, who has covered the Middle East for decades, has a powerfully disturbing piece about Iraq on the front page of The Independent. Fisk suggests the murders committed by Marines at Haditha may be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of troops killing Iraqi civilians without reason or remorse. I hope he's wrong, but I have a feeling he's very right. Excerpt:

I suspect part of the problem is that we never really cared about Iraqis, which is why we refused to count their dead. Once the Iraqis turned upon the army of occupation with their roadside bombs and suicide cars, they became Arab "gooks," the evil sub-humans whom the Americans once identified in Vietnam. Get a president to tell us that we are fighting evil and one day we will wake to find that a child has horns, a baby has cloven feet.

Remind yourself these people are Muslims and they can all become little Mohamed Attas. Killing a roomful of civilians is only a step further from all those promiscuous air strikes that we are told kill 'terrorists" but which all too often turn out to be a wedding party or -- as in Afghanistan -- a mixture of "terrorists" and children or, as we are soon to hear, no doubt, "terrorist children."

In a way, we reporters are also to blame. Unable to venture outside Baghdad -- or around Baghdad itself -- Iraq's vastness has fallen under a thick, all-consuming shadow. We might occasionally notice sparks in the night -- a Haditha or two in the desert -- but we remain meekly cataloguing the numbers of "terrorists" supposedly scored in remote corners of Mesopotamia. For fear of the insurgent's knife, we can no longer investigate. And the Americans like it that way.

Even the new Iraqi government is now speaking out against the violence and killing by foreign troops:

Iraq's new leaders have turned on their "liberators". Speaking in Baghdad yesterday, the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, lashed out at the conduct of foreign troops. He called on the Americans to account for what happened at Haditha. He described violence against civilians as commonplace and accused the foreign forces of behaving with no respect for citizens and killing "on a suspicion or a hunch". This is a long way from the gratitude George Bush and Tony Blair surely hoped for when they launched their ill-fated invasion three years ago.

I wonder when or if our President, our Democratic leaders or the U.S. mainstream media will finally admit that enough is enough. As Fisk mentions, occupation armies are, by their very nature, prone to producing mass graves and senseless killing. With an occupation army in the midst of a civil war being fought with guerilla tactics, it's even easier to fall into the habit of lashing out lethally at anyone who happens to be in the vicinity when something bad happens.

We are losing what soul we have left in Iraq. If we stay much longer, it may be too late to regain what we've lost. It should be obvious to all by now that there is no "victory" to be had unless we get out of the way or Iraqis and let them decide their own fate. Now.

Memorial Day Weekend: Contemplating Iraq War Casualties

Last night I watched HBO's Baghdad ER. It's a graphic, hard-hitting, moving and realistic account of what it's like for U.S. medical personnal stationed in the Green Zone and those they treat for war wounds of all kinds. Often bloody and gruesome, the show was shot in the ER, IED Alley and other locations in Baghdad. It follows doctors, surgeons, techs and nurses over a span of two months where they try to cheat death treating those seriously wounded and patch up others, both physically and emotionally.

The show will be rerun many times on the various HBO stations, including special airings to honor Memorial Day. Here's a New York Times description of the program. You can also watch the show online at Information Clearinghouse. And here's a video of a news story about the mother of one of the servicemen who dies during the show, and how the segment on her son provided her with touching facts about his final hours.

The medical personnel offer mostly sad and angry statements about the war and its senseless casualties that enter the medical facility day after day after day. It's a testament to the courage and skill of all involved, from lowly grunt to top-notch surgeon. Clearly, the veterans of this conflict, as with others from past wars, will be in need of large-scale medical, spiritual, emotional and vocational support for decades to come. I only hope they get it from a nation practically bankrupted by Bush and his cronies and their achingly brutal decisions.

It was very difficult and upsetting to watch this show, to witness the horrendous carnage being caused by such an unnecessary and misguided war. As always, those lowest on the totem poll are made to suffer for the arrogance and hunger for power of those at the top, far from the realities of IED's, snipers, suicide bombers and gun battles. As I watched the show I kept seeing the wise-ass faces of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and Bush himself, essentially immune from the consequences of their selfish, short-sighted, dishonest decisions that are killing and maiming thousands.

The Iraq Coalition Casualtieslatest numbers: 2464 American troops killed (including 60 so far this month); 17,869 American troops wounded in action (including 403 last month). An estimated 4715 Iraqi police and military have been killed along with uncountable tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians.

Crosses for US military deaths in Iraq at

Necessary wars, if there is such a thing, are bad enough. Wars of choice, like this one, represent what is, perhaps, the very worst of human nature -- the lowest rungs of ego-based stupidity, the most unnecessary shedding of blood caused by those who put ideology before plain common sense. In addition to all the bbq's and picnics and outings this weekend, we should pause to remember the painful and wasteful carnage of wars past and present, and honor those who pay the price, on the field of battle and off. Some possibilities:

Any Soldier: care packages for the troops

Armed Forces Relief Trust: supporting troops and families in need

Fisher House: housing for families of hospitalized members of the military

Gold Star Families for Peace: families of soldiers who died in war working to stop further deaths

Help Our Troops Call Home: Prepaid phone cards

Operation Hero Miles: Donate frequent flier miles to fly troops home

Operation Truth: Represents Iraq & Afghanistan vets and families

Iraq Veterans Against the War: Working to stop the carnage

Veterans for Peace: Working for peace and justice (offers 10 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day)

VA Voluntary Services: Coordinates volunteers and gifts for vets in the VA system

Just Give Guide: Listing of legitimate organizations that help veterans (one click giving)

New Mexico Veterans' Memorial: Make a gift to honor a NM vet

Fried Friedman Smokes With the Neocons

I've never been a fan of New York Times writer Tom Friedman. I think he's one of the most overrated reporters in the world and I certainly couldn't support his zesty passion for attacking Iraq, er, for bringing democracy to the Middle East. I think he's a pompous and self-serving dreamer who keeps insisting, despite all evidence to the contrary, that we're doing just fine in Iraq and will be leaving shortly.

After all, as they stand up, we stand down. Ouch. The scary thing is that he really seems to believe his own schtick. It is said that if you repeat a lie long enough, you'll begin to believe it's the truth.

Now Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting has compiled a one and half year record of his predictions that we'll be withdrawing from Iraq in six months (or a few weeks or a few months or 9 months). Regardless of what happens in Iraq, Friedman keeps making the same prediction that another six months will do the trick. Over and over and over again. Reality never penetrates and he never changes his tune. Consider:

"The next six months in Iraq—which will determine the prospects for democracy-building there—are the most important six months in U.S. foreign policy in a long, long time." (New York Times, 11/30/03)

"What I absolutely don't understand is just at the moment when we finally have a UN-approved Iraqi-caretaker government made up of—I know a lot of these guys—reasonably decent people and more than reasonably decent people, everyone wants to declare it's over. I don't get it. It might be over in a week, it might be over in a month, it might be over in six months, but what's the rush? Can we let this play out, please?" (NPR's Fresh Air, 6/3/04)

"What we're gonna find out, Bob, in the next six to nine months is whether we have liberated a country or uncorked a civil war." (CBS's Face the Nation, 10/3/04)

"Improv time is over. This is crunch time. Iraq will be won or lost in the next few months. But it won't be won with high rhetoric. It will be won on the ground in a war over the last mile." (New York Times, 11/28/04)

"I think we're in the end game now…. I think we're in a six-month window here where it's going to become very clear and this is all going to pre-empt I think the next congressional election—that's my own feeling— let alone the presidential one." (NBC's Meet the Press, 9/25/05)

"Maybe the cynical Europeans were right. Maybe this neighborhood is just beyond transformation. That will become clear in the next few months as we see just what kind of minority the Sunnis in Iraq intend to be. If they come around, a decent outcome in Iraq is still possible, and we should stay to help build it. If they won't, then we are wasting our time." (New York Times, 9/28/05)

"We've teed up this situation for Iraqis, and I think the next six months really are going to determine whether this country is going to collapse into three parts or more or whether it's going to come together." (CBS's Face the Nation, 12/18/05)

"We're at the beginning of I think the decisive I would say six months in Iraq, OK, because I feel like this election—you know, I felt from the beginning Iraq was going to be ultimately, Charlie, what Iraqis make of it." (PBS's Charlie Rose Show, 12/20/05)

"The only thing I am certain of is that in the wake of this election, Iraq will be what Iraqis make of it—and the next six months will tell us a lot. I remain guardedly hopeful." (New York Times, 12/21/05)

"I think that we're going to know after six to nine months whether this project has any chance of succeeding. In which case, I think the American people as a whole will want to play it out or whether it really is a fool's errand." (Oprah Winfrey Show, 1/23/06)

"I think we're in the end game there, in the next three to six months, Bob. We've got for the first time an Iraqi government elected on the basis of an Iraqi constitution. Either they're going to produce the kind of inclusive consensual government that we aspire to in the near term, in which case America will stick with it, or they're not, in which case I think the bottom's going to fall out." (CBS, 1/31/06)

"I think we are in the end game. The next six to nine months are going to tell whether we can produce a decent outcome in Iraq." (NBC's Today, 3/2/06)

"Can Iraqis get this government together? If they do, I think the American public will continue to want to support the effort there to try to produce a decent, stable Iraq. But if they don't, then I think the bottom is going to fall out of public support here for the whole Iraq endeavor. So one way or another, I think we're in the end game in the sense it's going to be decided in the next weeks or months whether there's an Iraq there worth investing in. And that is something only Iraqis can tell us." (CNN, 4/23/06)

"Well, I think that we're going to find out, Chris, in the next year to six months—probably sooner—whether a decent outcome is possible there, and I think we're going to have to just let this play out." (MSNBC's Hardball, 5/11/06)

I'm all for optimism, but this constantly expanding "window of opportunity" thing is beginning to feel like a never-ending story, a fantastical fairytale. Unfortunately, there's lots of real blood and guts and brains exploding out of bodies in Iraq, as the dreamers dream on. The neocons' strange addiction to the myth of spreading of democracy at gunpoint, The Decider's unyielding wet dreams of triumph despite growing chaos and Friedman's fried and phony predictions -- all products of reality-challenged egos disconnected from how the world really works and how people really bleed. These kinds of things always looks good on paper. Not so good where the boots hit the sand.

I've decided that Friedman must be smoking the same thing Bush and his neocons have been inhaling. He sounds less like a factual reporter and more like another shill for BushCo with each passing week.

And no, Tom, the world isn't flat at all -- it's tilted to favor rich oligarchists, monopolists, slave labor employers and greedy militarists, to the detriment of ordinary people everywhere. Stop sucking on the hookahs with the neocons and "free" traders and you'll see. Just say no.

Check Out Latest Hard-Hitting Billboard from MergingLeft

Here are a couple shots of the lastest Albuquerque billboard created by the progressive grassroots activists at MergingLeft. You can see it for yourself on University just North of Indian School, next to United Blood Services on the West side of the street.

MergingLeft is an all-volunteer organization that produces billboards, bus ads and bumperstickers that express the positions and values of progressives, and raises funds to pay for their production and distribution. Click so see some of their other projects. If you like what you see, think about tossing a few bucks their way so they can keep up the messaging. In this climate of mainstream media bias, MergingLeft provides an opportunity to get our message out directly to the people. Small donations can produce powerful communications! (Click on images for larger versions.)

Rumsfeld Lies About Lying (And Now Goss Resigns)

Think Progress has the video of recently retired, 27-year veteran CIA analyst Ray McGovern challenging Rumsfeld at a speech yesterday on his honesty about the Iraq war and the reasons concocted to justify the invasion. There's also a text version of the interaction.

In one exchange, Rummy denies he said he knew where the WMD's were in Iraq and McGovern reads him a verbatim quote where he says just that. Rumsfeld, rarely lacking in the spin department, had to skip at least one beat.

In addition to the blunt questioning from McGovern, there were at least three protestors in the crowd, including one guy who stood with his back towards Rumsfeld during his entire appearance. One guy was wearing a large sticker that said 'IMPEACH' and a woman was escorted out after holding up a banner that called Rummy a war criminal. Could we really be reaching a long overdue turning point on the crass manipulation of the truth by Bush and company? How much longer can they keep lying in the face of clear, documented evidence to the contrary? How much longer will the mainstream media play along with them?

Thus just in: Porter Goss "resigns" as CIA director. Why? And why now? Does it have something to do with the new prostitute scandal involving Duke Cunningham and some of his Republican cohorts? Is Goss involved in some way with the Plame lead scandal? Inquiring minds want to know.

Think Progress has the video and transcript of prominent neocon and editor of The Weekly Standard William Kristol's reaction to the Goss resignation:

Kristol:  It wasn’t done in a routine way. I don’t think people — certainly people close to Goss did not expect this to happen. Senior congressmen and senators didn’t expect this to happen. I’m not sure the White House expected this to happen ... I do think this was sudden. It was unexpected. There will be more of a story that will come out. I don’t know what it implies for the future of the agency and Goss’ effort to shake up an institution, an institution that’s very difficult to shake up. But I do not believe it was part of a long-planned —

... What was striking about the statement in the Oval Office with the President, he didn’t say, “I will serve until my successor is confirmed,” which is the usual practice. In the written statement, he says he intends to be there for a few weeks to help ensure a smooth transition, but implying he could well leave before his successor is confirmed by the United States Senate. So again, I think there were either serious disputes or some internal problem at the agency or some scandal conceivably involving an associate of Goss’. Who knows? Something that popped this week and that caused this sudden event this Friday.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

Neil Young Records Anti-Iraq War Album

Leave it to Neil. Thirty-six years after he penned come ten new protest songs under the album title "Living With War." According to an article in The Independent:

It started as a rumour - gossip shared by fans on internet chat sites. Could it true, they asked? Could Neil Young, a cultural lodestone for a generation of country rock fans, really be turning his attention to President George Bush and the war in Iraq? Now Young himself has confirmed it. Not only has he recorded an entire album about the conflict, but in one of the songs he spells out who he thinks is to blame for the ongoing chaos and violence and what the consequences for that person should be. That track is called "Impeach the President".

"I just finished a new record - a power trio with trumpet and 100 voices," the 60-year-old says in a ticker-tape message posted at the bottom of his official website. "Metal folk protest? It's called Living with the War."

Further details about the album came from Jonathan Demme, the film maker who produced the recently released documentary Heart of Gold about the singer-songwriter. "Neil just finished writing and recording - with no warning - a new album called Living With War," he told the music magazine Harp by e-mail. "It all happened in three days ... It is a brilliant electric assault, accompanied by a 100-voice choir, on Bush and the war in Iraq ... Truly mind blowing. Will be in stores soon."

...His song urging that Mr Bush be impeached reportedly accuses him of "lying" and features a rap with the President's voice set against the choir singing "flip-flop" - an accusation Mr Bush and other Republicans aimed at John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, during the 2004 election campaign.

More info available at Thrasher's Wheat and Young's official website. To get in the mood click play:

Get Your Gear and Help Veterans' Peace Groups

Pass it on: Giving voice to the majority of Americans who now support the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, Bring Them Home Now! has created a 39 cent postage stamp (approved and licensed by the US Postal Service!).

The stamp features the symbol of the growing "Bring 'Em Home Now!" movement – a yellow ribbon transposed over a peace sign – providing millions of Americans with a unique way to show their support for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

Take the pledge to send in your tax returns with the "Bring 'Em Home Now!" stamp and let the government (and everyone else) know where you stand -- and at the same time donate funds to the peace movement. Click to visit the store.

All proceeds from the sale of the stamps (as well as t-shirts, buttons & stickers featuring the popular "Bring 'Em Home Now!" designs) benefit citizen groups working hard to end the war and bring our troops safely home, including Military Families Speak Out , Gold Star Families for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Veterans for Peace.

By participating, you proudly say: "I support the troops. Let's bring them home now! And let's take care of them when they get here."

Udall, Bingaman Report From Iraq

U.S. Rep. Thomas Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico, speaks to reporters in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 25, 2006. (AP Photo/Jacob Silberberg)

An article in Sunday's Albuquerque Journal by Michael Coleman of the paper's Washington Bureau reported on separate trips to Iraq made last week by New Mexico's Rep. Tom Udall and Senator Jeff Bingaman. Their assessments of the current situation there were less than reassuring. Excerpts:

... Rep. Tom Udall told reporters during a conference call from Baghdad on Saturday that the U.S. military should pull its troops out of Iraq by the end of this year.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, making his second trip to Iraq since the war began, told The Associated Press on Friday that he saw some progress on this visit, but not nearly as much as he had hoped.

Both Bingaman and Udall voted against the initial Iraqi invasion under President George W. Bush.

Udall said Iraq's failure to organize a legitimate, functioning government has severely hampered the country's economic and democratic progress.

"It's been a letdown for the Iraqi people, and it's made the American people very impatient," Udall said. "You can't make progress with a lame duck government."

The congressman said he hopes the Defense Department will "redeploy" American soldiers from Iraq by year's end, preferably to other locations in the Middle East. He said American troops need to remain in the region­ in places such as Kuwait­ to provide a ready response to other threats.

"We want to let them know we don't want instability in the region," Udall said.

He said President Bush made a tactical mistake last week when he conceded that U.S. troops will likely remain in Iraq at least until the end of his presidency. The president's declaration allows Iraqi leaders and soldiers to dither while Americans do much of the heavy lifting required to secure the country, rebuild its infrastructure and improve its economy, Udall told reporters.

"What incentive does that give them to step forward?" Udall asked. "I don't see that incentive."

... "You see areas where significant movement is being made, but it's not being made to the extent it should be," Udall said, noting that oil production in Iraq is still significantly lower than it was before the U.S. invasion.

After dining with top Iraqi officials from the country's feuding parties Saturday night, Udall said he was encouraged that they seemed intent on reaching agreement on a new government structure.

"None of them told us they are going to be deadlocked and will walk away," Udall said.

Instead, he said the Iraqis pleaded for patience from the U.S. government.

"Iraq hasn't really known democracy for 1,000 years, and this is hard work," said Udall, who will also visit Kuwait and Jordan on this trip before returning to Washington on Monday.