Iraqi withdrawal options

Someone told me today that she didn't like a particular peace plan for Iraq because it advocated what she felt was an overly hasty withdrawal. I thought about it and realized PRAWN doesn't have a peace plan. We've never discussed any withdrawal timetables. I don't think we will or should discuss any such measure. As I wrote here, the Bush Adminisration has completey messed up the diplomatic track for dealing with North Korea and there simply are no good military options. So when it comes to the question of "So, how would you deal with North Korea, Mr Smartypants?", my only real answer is that the very first thing that has to happen is that the Bush Administration and all of the related NeoCons must be out of office.

There is simply no possible way for any practical problem-solving to take place while Bush is the President. As we have seen with the Hamdan case decision by the Supreme Court, the Bush Administration doesn't appear to be inclined to take the advice of anybody, even when that advice is worded as a direct and lawful order.

Robert Kuttner points out in the Boston Globe that there are simply no good options for Iraq. As the advocates of peace were correct in late 2002-early 2003 in saying that Iraq did not pose a serious threat to the US or even to the immediate region, I would recommend that we be given the Iraq portfolio and, left to our own devices, I'm confident that we could come up with a reasonably effective solution. The major roadblock to any solution, though, is the Bush Administration. As long as they're in office, there's really very little we can possibly hope to accomplish. As Talking Points Memo points out: "If you need help getting your car out of a ditch, would you turn to the guy who just drove it in there or to the stranger who stops to help?"

The best strategy I think the peace movement can pursue just now is, in my humble opinion, to convince people that Bush & Co need to turn over the reins to people who can do the job.