Let's have some alternate dialogue on Iraq. This is why we need some left wing think tanks, so there's a serious plan with logical talking points that Bush has to defend against. We need to go on the offensive; not just pointing out the flaws in Bush, but proposing our own positive alternative. We need to ask him, "why isn't X being done."
This is something we can all talk about, what we'd do differently in Iraq. This is risky business, because we need to talk realistically and convincingly. We need to have some vision.
Inside are my own ideas. Pick them apart or flesh them out as you will.
"Bring the troops home" is not going to do it. Much as we want a rapid transition away from occupation, we cannot cut and run; it's going to be a lengthy process. Not even Kucinich is in favor of simply walking away, so we aught to stop parroting that talking point. It's not going to happen.
And I think that's right to some degree. Just because you and I didn't support the war doesn't mean we don't bear responsibility for the fact that it happened. We failed to stop it. It wasn't our fault, but trying to do everything we can to correct the damage done is the right thing to do, and I do not believe people who tell me that there's no way that the US can play a positive role.
But we must be realistic. We cannot hope to improve Iraq unless we get a lot of help from other nations, and the plan is one that a majority of Iraqis feel confidant about.
Currently we have an Interum Governing Council that does not represent the people. Whether or not it represents their best interests is debatable, but what is certain is that they were not selected through anything remotely resembling a democratic process. Many key members are ex-patriots without many vital ties to the people. Moreover, even this hand-picked council is without any real political authority.
So we need to have a timeline to give them real authority, the capacity to prove their worth, and we need to have a timeline for elections. We need to get a lot of other countries to help us out in this process, to help rehabilitate both the physical and political nfrastructure. We need to make sure that the our should-be allies and the people of Iraq see that a good faith effort is being made, and they only way they will believe this is if they are participants. That means they have power, a stake in the outcome and input on how the process is rub.
The best we can do as a foreign power is un-oppress people as much as possible. Only they can make themselves free. We can support them to a point, but sooner or later (sooner) the people of Iraq have to fly on their own. While it's not in our best interest to have an anti-US Muslim fundimentalist state, having a moderate democracy which integrates Islam into its system of checks and balances would not be the worst thing in the world.