I am a long-time commenter who posts very few diaries, so please go easy on this short one. Maybe you might even help me, a long-time, years of commenting, pre-Scoop, Kossack get his first recommended diary! I am looking ahead to a Democratic President in 2008. I think we could have an interesting discussion about who should be the Ambassador to Iraq.
Our new President will have no more important task than choosing the first Ambassador to Iraq under a Democratic administration. The American Embassy in Baghdad may be the largest functioning non-military institution in Iraq. The United States must shift from violent to non-violent means to stabilize and repair that country and support the Iraq government. Success in peacemaking is the only road to repairing the catastrophe that this war has become. I believe that the Ambassador to Iraq should be someone of great stature such as Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton. If Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton could be convinced to take on such a heavy responsibility, I think we might succeed in promoting peace in Iraq, with Iraq's neighbors, and bringing our troops home. If I were in a presidential campaign, I would start trying to recruit Jimmy Carter and working with the Carter Center to make a plan for Iraq. Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and others also have the capability of forming an excellent task-group. The goal should be to have a plan for the State Department to be ready on day one. In 2008, the appointment of the Ambassador to Iraq will be one of the most crucial appointments in American history, so we here at DailyKos should have our say.