A win, win, exit plan

Last week the death toll in Iraq quietly surpassed the 2000 mark, and in the next few days an additional 15 were killed, yet not one political leader suggests any kind of plan for exit. Indeed the President shrugged off the 2000 milestone, and casually warned that many more will die in the future. Since the entire war was based on lies, deceptions and ever changing reasons for fighting, it is time to plan for exit.

The administration argues that one of the main reasons for fighting is to introduce democracy to Iraq, which some suggest is another lie put forward by the administration, but giving the President the benefit of the doubt, consider this truly democratic exit plan.

Bear in mind the British recently conducted a “secret” poll in Iraq, in which as many as 80% of the Iraqi people wanted British forces out of Iraq, and that most of the violence in Iraq by the resistance, is directed towards US forces and the puppet government we have helped to install. It is obvious that, given the choice, the people of Iraq would send US forces home instantly. Based on these two observations, consider the following exit plan.

1. A call for an immediate cease fire and a “stand down” order given to US forces for the next 60 days, pending a national referendum to be held throughout Iraq with one simple ballot question. The ballot question would read: US forces should leave Iraq immediately. Certainly resistance groups would honor the cease fire because their aim is to drive foreign troops from their nation, and this vote would allow the Iraqi people to drive out the foreign forces democratically. Mr. Bush has repeatedly called for a simple up or down vote for his judicial nominees, and would be a hypocrite to deny the same right to the people of Iraq.

2) To insure an honest election, teams from Switzerland would be brought in to run and supervise the election, and also to count the ballots.

3. An agreement by the US to respect the democratic will of the Iraqi people.

Overwhelmingly the Iraqi people would vote to expel US forces. We would respect their will and leave Iraq, claiming to have successfully introduced democracy by allowing the people of Iraq to exercise their democratic right of self determination. The people of Iraq would be left to determine their own future without the presence of 150,000 foreign troops.

This is a win, win, proposition for all. The people of Iraq would have exercised the right to vote, and their future will be in their hands, as it should be. The US could proudly say we have planted the seed of democracy in Iraq and leave, respecting the will of the majority and most importantly, death would end. An additional further bonus might be that some nations of the world might begin to rethink their position regarding the US invasion of Iraq.

Unfortunately no one will propose this exit plan because we have no intention of ever leaving Iraq. The administration needs military bases in Iraq to better enable us to fight wars with both Syria and Iran in the very near future, and because we want Iraq’s two most precious natural resources. We and our only ally in the Middle East want Iraq’s oil, (a pipeline from Iraq to Haifa is now in the planning stages), and Israel want Iraq’s abundant water. The pillaging of oil and water will continue, and death will come to many more Americans in the future.