A Sane Strategy For Disengagement In Iraq

[ThomWV]

Look, if it was up to me the Forces would drop the guns, dump the ammo, abandon the Humm-Vees, and get on the planes and ships on their way home tomorrow. Let who ever is left fight it out and we'll still buy our oil from whoever comes out on top. I know there are others who have a much more reserved opinion about it and back some plan or another for phased withdrawal and some even go so far as to leave a residual force.

No matter what our opinions now it is certain that when we get a new President we will get out of Iraq and not a moment sooner. Some sort of plan will have to be put in place and the sooner it is available to the incoming President in a form that has withstood public scrutiny the better off all will be. This is why the resurrection of the Iraq Study Group seems to me to be a good thing.

I am certain that reason will triumph and we will be getting out of Iraq, I am certain that cooler heads than mine will find the fastest and least destructive means of doing so as well. What I am not certain of is if anyone has begun working on it. This is not the time for grand slogans; 'they'll stand up, we'll stand down, order will prevail, and the troops will come home'. We've had enough of that sort of tripe. Who is developing a realistic detailed plan of withdrawal taking into account the complexities of a mass military movement, political realities both on the ground and back at home, and some thought to the aftermath and our own responsibility for the refugees that are sure to come?

This is a mighty important matter and it must be begun anew, maybe it should be continuously updated until the day our our national reprieve from the current Administration.