What Have We Got?

Five years, countless lives, three trillion dollars, and what have we got to show for it?

BAGHDAD - Major Sunni and Shiite political blocs Tuesday boycotted a national conference aimed at reconciling Iraq's rival communities — underscoring the deep divisions tearing at the country despite a decline in violence.

But the two major Sunni blocs — the Iraqi Accordance Front and the Front for National Dialogue — refused to attend, saying the Shiite-dominated government had failed to meet Sunni demands.

Members of the Shiite bloc loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr walked out following the opening ceremonies, which took place in the U.S.-protected Green Zone.

Nassar al-Rubaie, head of the pro-Sadr faction in parliament, said his group did not want to appear hostile to reconciliation but "we don't want our presence to be ceremonial or sit like guests of honor."

Sunni leaders have complained that al-Maliki has failed to release detainees not charged with specific crimes, has not disbanded Shiite militias and has not sufficiently included Sunni lawmakers in decision-making on security issues.

"How we can attend a reconciliation meeting?" said Saleem Abdullah, a spokesman for the Accordance Front. "There are many points that are still not fulfilled."

For all the talk about the surge "working", the fact is that the surge was sold as an effort to create breathing space for the fledgling, but functional Iraq government to get some momentum behind it and be able to take over. While violence may have diminished, on that score the surge has been a complete failure, like most of our efforts there.

Today, NPR ran a story detailing the activities of one of teams trying to organize reconstruction. Listening, I couldn't help but be reminded of the classic scene toward the end of the movie Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence has helped his Arab friends to take Damascus, days before the British Army can arrive. But the Arabs cannot hold the city, because pride and tribal rivalries prevent them from organizing a functional modern government. Lawrence ends up alone after the angered Arabs all storm out of the conference, his vision proven naive, despite his knowledge of his allies and their ways.

The Pentagon has recently confirmed yet again that Saddam had nothing to do with the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden is still on the loose, and despite John McCain's fantasies, the war in Iraq had, and has nothing to do with the fight against al Qaeda.

What has it gotten us? We don't even have enough of a puppet regime to be pumping us lots and lots of oil. (Sorry, all you folks who thought this was a War for Oil.) In the last five years, we've gotten weaker, the enemy has gotten stronger, and it's not over yet.

Heckuva job, Bushie.

Update: See also Fareed Zakaria.