In a benchmark that challenges progressive Democrats to prove their commitment to ending the war, by producing a better plan for rapid withdrawal from the Iraq quagmire, the Libertarian Party National Committee
http://www.lp.org today called for immediate US withdrawal from Iraq and proposed a coherent timetable.
The Libertarian call sets a standard for progressive and Democratic Party peace activists to show that they can advance and refine better plans for a rapid departure of American forces from Iraq.
The plan calls for withdrawing approximately 12,000 troops a month, with all forces gone in a year. More than 100,000 would come home. The fundamental intent of the strategy is to remove our troops from harm's way and move them toward a return to their families.
For the complete plan http://www.lp.org/exitplan.pdf
For more details, see below the fold:
Summary of the Libertarian Party Plan/A Challenge for Progressives To Equal
"Regardless of an individual's stance on the initial invasion of Iraq, it is now clear that
there is no end in sight to the sustained violence in the region...A commonsense strategy for success is the first mandatory step to end this conflict... After two years of American presence in Iraq it has become evident that there is no military solution that will achieve peace within that country. The Libertarian Party, along with supporting organizations and individuals, proposes this exit strategy
"American and coalition troops have remained in Iraq for over two years since Bush's declaration of victory. According to the Bush administration, the continued military presence is needed to...fight... the "insurgency."...The so-called "insurgents" are primarily Iraqis who have taken up arms against the occupying forces in order to protect themselves and reclaim their nation. Evidence shows that the continuing American military presence is, in fact, fueling the continued resistance by Iraqi citizens...According to a report produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, those fighting are, in large part, those who have lost loved ones fighting U.S. forces....
"Now is the time for the United States to initiate an exit strategy, as the main military objectives have been accomplished... [GP: Hoist Bush with His Own Petard.]
"The first step is immediately to begin the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq. Currently American troop levels are at about 140,000. Troops would leave gradually, in increments of approximately 11,600 per month, resulting in a complete withdrawal in one year's time... By removing our troops from Iraq and relocating them to various bases in the Middle East, we remove the insurgency's common enemy...
"Negotiations with nationalist groups not tied to the former regime should take place in tandem with the withdrawal of U.S. troops...
"After U.S. troop withdrawal begins, a direct-aid program will begin for the Iraqi government. The U.S. government will disperse funds directly to the Iraqi government to be used strictly for the creation of viable infrastructure. The Iraqi government will exercise complete control over the spending of funds and the contracting of projects... The Iraqi government will be required to choose and hire a private firm to perform oversight on private contractors...
"Above all else, the intent of this proposed strategy is to remove our troops from harm's way and, in the near future, return them to their families..."
The proposal: Principal author, Matthew Dailey
Additional Support: Pere Garlinghouse, J.
Daniel Cloud, Sam New, Shane Cory and the entire staff at Libertarian Party
Headquarters
Libertarian National Committee http://www.LP.org
George Phillies
Liberty for Massachusetts http://www.LibertyForMassachusetts.org