Steve's Home With Honor Plan -- The War in Iraq

By Steve Young

Most people who think this war is a good idea think the best way to fight it is with other people's children. War is inhumane, brutal, callous and full of depravity. Invading Iraq was a disastrous move. George Bush and his inner circle want to be defined as tough and strong; however, true strength is telling the truth no matter the domestic political risk. Tragically, this Administration is unwilling to tell us the truth.

They sent us to war without either defining what victory in Iraq will be, or preparing an exit strategy. The invasion of Iraq opened a Pandora's box of volatile ethnic and sectarian tensions that make the world more dangerous with each passing day.

The democracy that was to flower in the Iraqi desert, then spread through the Middle East is as much a mirage as the weapons of mass destruction. You cannot start wrong and do right. The White House must rid itself of the delusion that things are going well in Iraq. If the war is scaling back, why are we increasing our troop deployment from Kuwait? If we are succeeding in training Iraqis to defend themselves, why have the number of Iraqi stand alone divisions gone from 3 to 1 to 0 in the last 6 months? If Bush plans to leave Iraq, why are we building 14 military bases? Why have more than 2300 Americans died? Why are there 30,000 American casualties? Why are hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead or injured? The answer is presidential high crimes and misdemeanors.

I have a plan for withdrawal from Iraq, with honor, in three months. It is based on the lessons learned in the Lebanese Civil War during the late 80's. Five factions were warring. The U.N. peacekeepers retreated with their tails between their legs. Now we have peace that has lasted seventeen years and Beirut is flourishing. The Arab League negotiated and enforced peace. America should request the assistance of the Arab League in negotiating a peace between the warring Shiia and Sunni factions. To enable the peace process, America should pull back to points of strategic significance such as Kuwait, Jordan, and UAE. From there, immediate troop withdrawals can begin. By implementing this approach, we facilitate an Arab solution to the Arab problems in Iraq, take our sons and daughters out of harm's way, and facilitate peace.