WONK ROUND-UP: "SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?" EDITION. Good afternoon, wonks. This week's edition of the round-up will focus on Iraq, and whether and how to leave:
- Is Keeping Troops in Iraq in America's Best Interests?: A debate between pitting the Carnegie Endowment's Jessica Matthews, along with former U.S Ambassador Chas Freeman, against Fred Kagan and Reuel March Gerecht. Both a transcript and the video are available.
- What Does America Owe Iraq?: A roundtable discussion including foreign policy experts, political philosophers, and religious theorists on what America's ongoing responsibility to Iraq is.
- After The Surge: The Case for U.S Military Disengagement From Iraq: Steve Simon argues for a thoughtful withdrawal from iraq on our terms and at a time when we can orient it towards the goals we want to achieve. The alternative prospects -- muddling through, or being driven out by events we can't anticipate and in a fashion we can't plan for -- are likely to be far worse for both us, and the Iraqis. The best case I've read for withdrawal.
- Turning the Page in Iraq.: Barack Obama's recently released plan for ending the Iraq War, which distinguishes itself by offering a serious and thoughtful argument for how to guard against a humanitarian disaster as we withdraw.
- Examining the President's Comments on S-CHIP.: And because I can't resist a little bit of health wonkery, it turns out that Bush is doing a lot of lying on the Children's Health Insurance Programs bill. Big shock. CBPP runs through the numbers.
--Ezra Klein
