Consensus Statement on Need for Iraq Plan

Perhaps what could be helpful at this juncture, is a document which represents in clear and concise fashion, the consensus view on what Congress has been trying to get from the Bush admin on Iraq.

Many specific plans have been proposed, and many specific forms of accountability.
But beyond any specific method, there's a goal being sought.

Things as they stand simply don't feel right to people, and as patriotic Americans, we all want this to resolve to a place that does feel right for the nation.

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Perhaps some such document could become a third bill along with the 2 Pelosi is proposing to present in the House, that might or might not end up emerging from conference, but would represent a clear statement on its own.
Otherwise could also be written up as a letter to be signed by countless well-known public voices on both sides of the aisle, in and out of government and presented to the White House.

Some sort of a clear, consensus statement on what it is that is fundamentally being sought, framed in as neutral language as is possible, would be extremely helpful, given the turmoil the bills likely to be passed are causing

So, here's a sample.
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We agree on the following:
The current US deployment in Iraq is not sustainable over the long-term by the nation or our military.
While there are legitimate and important national security interests in the stability of Iraq and the Middle East, these interests must in the end be secured via a deployment of all our forces, military and civilian, that is sustainable.

The current state of affairs is stretching military personnel, families, equipment and budgets.
If let as is, it leaves us in a less than optimal state of readiness.

As a nation we must deliberately and swiftly find a plan to get from where we are today, to an endpoint status of forces that is sustainable as well as effective in achieving our goals.

The president sets the specific foreign policy for the nation.
Thus it is the president's responsibility to come up with a plan to get us where we need to be.

It must be a public plan, that is solid and not ambiguous.
It must lay out short and long term steps that will take us to the desired end point.
It must make some attempt to take into account the likely points of difficulty and envision sufficient pathways to get where we need to be.

There may be many dramatic goals that have been sought at one time or another in Iraq.
But we must as a nation be prepared to narrow our focus, so as to aim for goals that are achievable at a cost we can sustain and that are truly realistic given the constraints on the ground.
We should not abandon the good we can do, but we must be much more focussed and realistic about what that good is.
We should seek a viable local solution for now, helping it to grow into a better future for Iraqis over the longer term, in a way that is sustainable for America.

There have been numerous plans proposed; and innumerable further plans could be created.
It is up to the president to choose one, make it public, build a consensus around it and submit to ongoing, regular, deliberate, pointed and public Congressional oversight as to the status of the plan.
This oversight should take place in a spirit of willingness and cooperation by both the White House and Congress, while not sacrificing accountability.

The current 'Surge' does not constitute such a plan, though it could be a preliminary phase in such a plan.

A plan may or may not have a specific timeline, but certainly must have a general timeframe to give it a sense of reality.
We urge the president to consider his remaining time in office as at least an approximate boundary within which to accomplish a significant part of the transition to a sustainable deployment.

The intent of Congress has been and will continue to be, to promote a sane and effective transition of the sort described here.
Congress and the White House must work together for the good of the nation.
A real and realistic plan for transitioning US involvement in Iraq, with real accountability for all parties, supported by an American national consensus, will form the basis of such a partnership.