Going forward in Iraq
December 7, 2006 | By Nathaniel Ward
Yesterday, the Iraq Study Group released its much-anticipated report on America’s involvement in Iraq. While the report breaks little new ground, it helps clarify the debate on how to prevail in Iraq.
“Its recommendations comprise a sensible and realistic way forward in Iraq, with one major exception,” Heritage experts James Phillips and James Carafano explain. “Drawing Syria and Iran into efforts to stabilize Iraq would accomplish little at great expense or even backfire, undermining stability.”
Click here for more analysis of what the ISG got right—and wrong.
The new Secretary of Defense
Yesterday, the Senate overwhelmingly approved Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. Secretary Gates will replace Donald Rumsfeld, whose presided over the first years of the war on terrorism and began the essential reforms that will transform the military into a 21st-century fighting force.
Mackenzie Eaglen and James Carafano, who work as defense analysts at The Heritage Foundation, explain that the new Pentagon chief focused on the right issues during his confirmation hearings.
Click here to read more about the new Secretary of Defense’s policy positions.
No room for ‘negotiation’
Many liberals campaigned this year on a pledge to allow the government to “negotiate” the prices of medicines seniors purchase under the costly new Medicare prescription drug entitlement. This may be good rhetoric, but it’s terrible policy, as Heritage health care expert Bob Moffit explains.
“There’s a lot wrong with the Medicare drug program,” Moffit argues. “But the intense competition that takes place among health plans offering drug coverage today isn’t one of them.” The private insurers who currently purchase drugs have already negotiated steep discounts from drug companies and kept premiums down, he notes, “and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office doesn't think the Medicare bureaucracy would do better.”
Government “negotiation” would mean that government would fix drug prices. The likely method of enforcing the fixed price would be crude: Congress would simply block entry to any company that wouldn't or couldn't accept the government's fixed price, and companies wouldn't be able to sell to seniors in Medicare. That’s bad news for seniors depending on newer and more effective drugs sold by companies locked out of the Medicare “market.”
In other news
- At a hearing Monday, Supreme Court justices wondered whether the use of racial preferences to advance “diversity” constitutes a violation of the Constitution. The high court upheld such policies as recently as 2003; justices are expected to rule on the new cases by next summer.
- A new study finds that more poor Americans live in suburbia than in urban centers. Instead of compounding the problem with expansive new social programs, we should turn to proven techniques like encouraging marriage, hard work and self-reliance.
- America’s involvement in World War II began in earnest 65 years ago today when Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
- A liberal group celebrated the availability of the “morning-after” abortion pill by giving away the pill for free.
- The Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing whether lead still meets the criteria for strict regulation as a pollutant.
Coming up at Heritage
To attend these or any other Heritage Foundation events, RSVP at Heritage’s events website. Or you can watch these events live online at Heritage.org. All times are Eastern.
- On Monday, December 11 at 10:30 am, a panel of experts will discuss the implications of Taiwain’s current politics for American foreign policy.
- On Friday, December 15 at noon, Heritage’s James Carafano is joined by outside experts to discuss what steps America can take to stay ahead in military technology.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
