Friday, April 07, 2006

My Exit Strategy

ISLAMIC PEACEKEEPERS! How much louder can I shout it, and why haven't I heard this suggestion from anyone in government? The Bush administration's reckless adventure in Iraq is fast approaching the time when it will be beyond our ability to influence events on the ground. Our soldiers are in the crosshairs of every wanna-be jihadist with a weapon and the elected representatives of the Iraqi people refuse to compromise on a coalition government despite the prodding from Dr. Rice to hurry up and get something done before the U.S. mid-term elections.

This is something President Bush could accomplish on his own, without the coaching of his failed policy-makers or his soon to be jailed political advisor. President Bush has assets he could yet bring to bear toward a favorable outcome in Iraq. He has old friends in the Saudi Royal Family; an ally in Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan; a convert in Khadaffi of Libya; a grateful populace in Kuwait; and emerging Arab states like Qatar and the U.A.E. who wish to prove to the U.S. that they are trustworthy enough partners with which to do business. The President could appeal to these nations and leaders personally, or through Secretary Rice, to provide troops to act as peacekeepers while the Iraqis determine their own future.

This would relieve the American military of daily and deadly street patrols and allow them to redeploy to what John Kerry called in a N.Y. Times editorial, "a garrisoned position, over the horizon." Kerry failed to note that U.S. trained Iraqi security forces are not yet capable of suppressing the violence, either against coalition forces or against Iraqi civilians. If the American and British forces were removed from the equation and replaced by Muslim troops, proportionately Sunni and Shia to the Iraqi population, neither Al Qaeda nor home grown Iraqi insurgents would be so zealous to kill them in the name of jihad. The U.S. could prove to the Iraqi people that we have no permanent designs on their country by withdrawing our forces to secured positions and allowing those Arab states that claim to be America's friends, to stand up and prove it and assist us in our time of need.

The time is running out in this endeavor. If the breaking news concerning the Scooter Libby testimony to the grand jury proves to be true, the President is about to become embroiled in a maze of political and legal difficulties that will dominate the remainder of his term, however long that may be. President Clouseau promised to get to the bottom of who was leaking classified information from his administration, but he forgot to get a "lizenze for his minkey," and found the leaker in the mirror. The President claims patriotic amnesia. While mountain biking in Crawford, he heard one too many Toby Keith songs on his iPod and felt justified in trashing the reputations of the sneaky traitors who dared question the true lies that the White House Iraqi Group so meticulously concocted. Jethro's in a heap of trouble this time.

But our soldiers in Iraq can't afford to wait for legislative justice to be meted out to the neo-cons and war planners who's bankrupt ideology put them there, along with the President who said of Iraq that "God told me to strike them, and so I did." Unless God suddenly changed His mind and decided, "Blessed are the warmongers," Bush was probably hearing the voice of God through Dick Cheney. It is now clear that both Cheney and Rumsfeld believe that if Bush the Elder had given Norman Schwartzkoff one more week, he would have been in Baghdad and either captured or killed Saddam. But Poppy Bush wasn't interested in the uncertainty of a long term occupation of Iraq. That's why Bush the Clueless wasn't interested in asking his father's sissy advice and instead claimed council from a "Higher Father." It's tough to argue with schizophrenics or politicians who claim they hear voices.

Everyday the status quo is maintained in Iraq, is one day farther from resolution, and another day of bloodshed. The discredited architects of this conflict are now obligated to extricate us from it. They should, without delay, impose upon the President to call on America's Arab friends, cowboy hat in hand if necessary, to request military assistance in helping to lessen the turmoil in Iraq. It is in the interest of modern Arab states to assist first in ending the slaughter of Muslims by their fellow Muslims; to pacify the home grown insurgency and restrict Al Qaeda targets by limiting the American military presence; and to assist in encouraging the emergence of a representative Iraqi government that could put a check on Iranian ambitions in the region.

The question is, can this macho, posturing administration find the humility to ask for help? Our armed forces have done everything that could possibly have been asked of them and more. The American military cannot impose a political solution on the Iraqis, and their presence is now a flashpoint for Islamic rage. Bush is the first president since Nixon with a daily body count. And though Nixon was elected on a "secret plan" to end the Vietnam War, over 20,000 more soldiers died before the "secret plan" was implemented. Will Bush's Urban Cowboy attitude cause him to keep our forces in Iraq beyond the point of their usefulness? A personal appeal for Muslim troops may yet earn Bush his coveted place in history as the man who was brazen enough to alter the Middle East political landscape. Then this President can honor the service of the men and women he placed in danger by returning them safely to their families.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

A bold idea, almost certainly beyond the moral or intellectual capacity of the "Commander in Cheese."
While I don't believe such a plan would stop the violence---they seem to enjoy killing each other almost as much as they do us---at least our soldiers wouldn't be in the cross-hairs.
Aselaam alekum.

Anonymous said...

This is the best proposal that I have heard...way to go Randy. I'm glad that you have lightened up on the lambasting and have proposed what sounds like a viable resolution. You should tell the Democrats. This could give them a viable Middle-East game plan and throw the elections in their favor. Somebody needs to propose a sane and workable game plan, regardless of political affiliation. I am apolitical, but always open for good ideas, regardless of who proposes them.

Anonymous said...

Randy, that's an oxymoron worthy of George Carlin: Islamic Peacekeepers.

Anonymous said...

Very naïve article.

Arabs do not trust one another period.

Iraq is a very proud country (collection of tribes) and would never allow foreign troops on their soil (unless totally overpowered as currently the situation).

Anonymous said...

It's still the best idea I have heard. Anybody have a better one? Let's hear it.

Anonymous said...

Time's up. Well, Randy, it looks like you win. Nobody came up with a better idea.

Anonymous said...

Thought for the day: Republicans are scum-sucking pigs...Democrats suck the scum that the scum-sucking pigs suck. That's a political position. Vote for a third party.

Anonymous said...

This is beside the point, but get a load of this outrage...Heard of the legislation called the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act? This half-witted legislation proposes to sell over 300,000 acres of federal forest land to the public (developers) to raise money for rural school systems. How wise do you think this exchange is? The land sold will be converted to malls and most of the money will be rat-holed by the incompetent educational establishment. In Tn. they are hoping to sell 3,00 acres of the Cherokee National Forest which neighbors the Great Smokey Mtn. National Park. This administration is going to coop what we have left of pristine nature for parking lots!! Can the Greens help us?

Anonymous said...

Correction: that's 3,000 acres of the Cherokee National Forest.

Anonymous said...

I just heard that zarqawi lived for 52 minutes after the bombs hit his compound. This is another aspect of our barbarism in Iraq. Not only did we hav the massacre, but I heard that a soldier saw zarqawi with his leg broken and bleeding internally. This soldier took the lemon from his iced tea (he was hydrating) and squeezed the juice on zarqawi's wounds. If this was not enougn, another soldier started laughing and took the packet of salt from his Big Mac and violently shook the contents over zarqawi's sucking chest would. OH THE HUMANITY!!!