It is understandable that US officials would react with outrage to the idea of forgiving insurgents with American blood on their hands. As Senator Carl Levin said, “the idea that they should even consider talking about amnesty for people who have killed people who liberated their country is unconscionable.” But Senator Levin and others like him seem to forget that liberating something means setting it free.
The Iraqis need the space to make hard decisions that will help them restore stability in their country. But they will never find this space so long as US officials continue to micro-manage the Iraqi government according to their own plan. What the Iraqis really need most now is what the Americans promised them long ago: freedom. And that ought to include the freedom to govern their own country in a way that will benefit the Iraqi people.…