Keep Your Eye on the Benchmarks

"'When the Americans give orders, people will be more against it,' [Mahmoud Othman, an independent Kurdish legislator] said. 'That's what the Americans don't understand.'"

Raghavan doesn't even mention the failure to achieve the first and most concrete benchmark White House officials put forth back in January. When Bush first announced he was sending more American troops to Iraq, skeptical journalists asked the two senior administration officials briefing them why they should believe that the Iraqis would be able to meet their obligations this time around.

From the transcript: "You're going to have some opportunities to judge very quickly. The Iraqis are going to have three brigades within Baghdad within a little more than a month. They have committed to trying to get one brigade in, I think, by the first of February, and two more by the 15th."

But neither of those deadlines were met. (See my Feb. 16 and Feb. 28 columns.) In fact, it's not clear how fully manned or reliable the Iraqi divisions in Baghdad are to this day.

The Bush View

Bush acknowledges that there is much work that needs to be done, but nevertheless insists that some progress is being made. Here he is Tuesday, on the Charlie Rose show, talking about Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki: "He understands that we expect him to deliver on what they call benchmarks, but more importantly, the Iraqi people expect him to deliver on benchmarks, which is an oil-sharing law, provincial elections. . . . We believe that he ought to reexamine the de-Baathification law that will enable certain professionals that were, you know, Ba'ath Party members to reenter society in a way. In other words, there are certain things he has to do.

"He has met some benchmarks. In other words, there is some progress."

Rose: "Is he doing everything that you expected him to do when you announced a new strategy and a new general in your January speech?"

Bush: "In terms of the security operations, yes. He committed more troops and they've arrived. He said he's going to organize the city in a certain way, and he has done so. He's named a general, Aboud, who is in charge of the Baghdad security plan. So he's meeting expectations, as far as I'm concerned, and I think as far as our military folks are concerned, as far as the security.

"Now, is he moving -- any -- by the way, he did pass a budget, in which they're going to spend $10 billion of Iraqi money to help provinces rebuild and help local people realize the benefits of having a central government with some money. They've got to make sure that money actually makes it out into the hands of the local governments.

"But he's still got a lot of work to do."

The Importance of Benchmarks

Back in January, the Bush administration not only stressed the importance of benchmarks, but hinted that there would be considerable progress within a few months.

From that Jan. 10 briefing by senior administration officials: "It is clear that the Iraqi -- that the patience of the Iraqi people is running out, and, quite frankly, the patience of the American people is running out. And he's been very clear to the government leaders he's spoken to -- he spoke to a number of them this morning -- it is time for this government to perform.