A good suggestion

As partisan bickering grows louder regarding U.S. military involvement in Iraq, it's refreshing to hear a reasoned and positive suggestion that's worth serious consideration. U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri's 4th District has sent a letter to President Bush urging a redeployment formula that calls for one U.S. brigade to be withdrawn from Iraq for every three brigades of Iraqi security forces capable of defending their country.

Skelton is no neophyte regarding military matters. The Lexington, Mo., native is the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee and has focused on military matters ever since he was first elected to the U.S. House in 1976. His 4th District covers a geographically vast section of west-central Missouri that includes the strategically important Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the B-2 stealth bomber.

The key to Skelton's suggestion is the readiness of Iraqi security forces to operate independently. A few weeks ago, top U.S. commanders in Iraq said the number of Iraqi battalions -- about 800 Iraqis are in a battalion -- ready for duty had dropped to one from three. If that's the case, not even one brigade (3,000 to 5,000) of Iraqis is ready to take over.

Meanwhile, Iraqi special forces are serving with U.S. troops and advisers in important ways, gaining the experience necessary for the role they will play in their country's future.

Skelton's proposal should set an example for further discussion of an orderly withdrawal by the United States from Iraq. It is far better to have a plan in mind before taking any more political potshots.