THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNEThe need to change course in IraqBy Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. Jack ReedAll Americans want Iraq to succeed in becoming a secure and stable nation. In order to enhance the chances for success, a number of things need to happen. First and foremost, the United States needs to change course from the current open-ended commitment of U.S. forces in Iraq. It has become a deterrent to the Iraqis making the compromises and hard decisions that sovereign nations have to make. The administration's mantra has been that our forces will stay as long as they are needed. That is producing an excessive dependency on us and makes it easier for the Iraqis to avoid the difficult steps, such as disarming the militias and amending their constitution to make it a uniting, rather than a divisive document, which it currently is. As Gen. George Casey, the commander of the U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq, noted in his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee last September, "Increased coalition presence feeds the notion of occupation, contributes to the dependency of Iraqi security forces on the coalition, extends the time it will take Iraqi security forces to become self-reliant, and exposes more coalition forces to attack at a time when Iraqi security forces are increasingly available and capable." Last year as part of the Defense Authorization Act, Congress passed a measure that called for 2006 to be a period of significant transition, with Iraqi forces taking the lead and creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq. It is time for the president to implement that policy and transition U.S. forces to a limited mission of training and logistic support of Iraqi security forces, protection of U.S. personnel and facilities, and targeted counterterrorism operations. The president, after consultation with the government of Iraq, should begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq this year, other than those performing that limited mission. The president should also submit a plan to Congress and the American people by the end of this year for the continued phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq beyond 2006. The Iraqis need to know that our commitment has limits and they must do their part both politically and militarily. The Iraqis need to hear that from our president. It will jump-start the political process and sharpen their focus on the difficult task of building a unified Iraqi nation. The Iraqis must either amend their constitution or enact laws to achieve the objective of a fair sharing of political power and economic resources so as to invest all Iraqis, including the Sunnis, in the formation of their nation. The Iraqi leaders must also act forcefully to disarm the militias and remove those members of the Iraqi security forces whose loyalty to the government is in doubt. This is, in effect, the amendment we will be offering to the Senate this week. Our amendment does not address the speed or pace of the redeployment. Nor does it call for a precipitous withdrawal - it is not "cut and run." This is not the Democratic amendment. We hope to attract support from a strong majority of senators from both sides of the aisle. The international community must also do its part to help Iraqis achieve a durable political settlement, prevent interference by neighboring countries, and provide economic and development assistance to Iraq. It is scandalous that less than half of the aid pledged at the Donors' Conference in October 2003 has been forthcoming. Finally, the United States and friendly governments must provide non-military support for reconstruction and governance. We must deploy qualified advisers and technicians to help rebuild Iraq. Our military troops have done and continue to do an extraordinary job. But they can't continue to hold Iraq together without a political solution, and the only parties that can create that solution are the Iraqis themselves. For the greater good of Americans and Iraqis, there must be a change of course, 2006 must truly be a year of transition, and the phased redeployment of U.S. forces must start this year. U.S. Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., are members of the Armed Services Committee.