Self Promotion and Promotion of Others
Posted by Ilan Goldenberg
I have a piece up in the New Republic about the Responsible Plan for ending the War in Iraq. 48 Senate and House candidates have now signed on. And the list is growing everyday. Anyway, here's the basic gist.
As opposed to the usual broad language, combined with a laundry list of policy proposals that make up traditional party platforms, the plan has a sharp focus, with a clear strategic logic focused around two fundamental principles. First, the United States must find a way to sensibly end its military mission in Iraq--and use the political, diplomatic, humanitarian, and economic tools at its disposal to mitigate the negative consequences of the war. Second, the Iraq War has done irreparable damage not just to Iraq but to our country, and the time has come to reform our institutions and put the checks and balances in place to ensure that these mistakes are not repeated.
I'm growing weary of all these plans for getting out of Iraq that mostly consist of doing things other than getting out of Iraq - which is to say, of excuses for putting off the getting out.
It's clear that the political establishment, Republican and Democrat, doesn't want to get out. It won't happen until the people stop accepting excuses.
Posted by: David Tomlin | April 02, 2008 at 12:41 PM
David, the people long ago stopped accepting excuses, and what good did that do? Nobody in authority, except for the odd Paul and Feingold types, has the courage to risk being called a surrender monkey. Besides, the money is good.
The Mahdi army has a pretty good plan for ending the conflict: (1) Take control of southern Iraq and the US main supply route and (2) Increase attacks on the US embassy with longer-range, more accurate rockets. Just when we thought that we were the only party to the conflict with plans these upstarts, calling themselves Iraqi nationalists, come up with their own plan, and implement it. I think they might call it their