In the 1968 presidential campaign Richard Nixon promised to end the war in Vietnam, but would not tell anyone exactly he would do it. In as many words this came to be known as his "secret plan." Yet, after his election the war still dragged on for another five years with 20,000 more American deaths and 100,000 wounded.
Now along comes the Iraq Study Group supposedly with a plan for extricating ourselves from the strategic disaster in Iraq, if not the moral one. And let us be not deceived, their proposals will make no meaningful difference whatsoever in really bringing the troops home. John Murtha, who so far has only spoken out for redeployment (something short of immediate withdrawal), has said he believes they represent no actual change of policy. They are just kicking the can of casualties down the road and trying to fool us into thinking they might in fact leave.
The policy is, always was, and in the minds of the Bush cabal will always will be, to occupy Iraq indefinitely while we install 14 permanent military bases, where they have absolutely no business of the Iraqi people to be there. And until they are absolutely forced to do otherwise that is where they will stay, which is what is precisely meant by Bush's recent rejection of any kind of "graceful exit."
The Iraqi people want us out now and their patience is at an end. It matters not that demagogues in other countries are calling for the same thing. It is our misfortune that we have made it so easy for them to exploit our strategic idiocy. But it is NOT an excuse to prolong the inevitable. This may be our last chance to use withdrawal of our unwelcome troops as some kind of bargaining chip. In perhaps another six months we WILL be forced to leave, and not by naysayers of some kind at home as the right wingers have accused, but by the Iraqi people themselves.
In the meantime, Bush, pathologically obstinate to the ignorant last, will continue to say we will win if we just keep fighting. Fighting who? They still haven't got a clue as to whom they are really fighting. That's the plan whether they will admit it or not. And no report the Iraq study group is likely to produce will have any impact worth writing home about. It's up to us to demand an immediate withdrawal of all American forces from Iraq, INCLUDING their support staffs, lest that be the excuse to keep any combat troops in place. Only cutting off the money will force their hand.
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