Iraq the Vote

Seems the Iraqis are going to get some kind of constitution one way or another. As much as Iraq needs stability that might come from a constitution, the Bush administration needs it way more. If the current governing body doesn’t come up with a constitution then it has to disband, and it’s deja vu all over again. The new constitution needs to be wrapped up there before the mid-term election here. If the constitution don’t fit, you’ll have to commit.

So, come October (I thought it was in December, previously.), there is going to be a vote in Iraq. And say, while we got a ballot out and we’re talking about a free election and democracy, why not put a vote of confidence in America on the ballot. Let’s get the Iraqi view of America in their country and when they think we should leave.

Example ballot: When should America leave your country?

__ After a stable government and constitution are in place with a well trained and equipped army and police force and all the necessary infrastructure for a normal life are up and running, and not a day sooner.

__ Five Years

__ One Year

__ ASAP


Democracy and a free vote are why we went into Iraq in the in the first place, right? Well, maybe not exactly the first place, but that’s why we’re there now, right? And were talking about what to do now, right? So, lets be proactive, rock the vote, customer focused, “How we doing so far?”, feedback, do-good feeler that the world has come to expect of us.

Sure, Europeans will laugh at us and make really funny snide remarks, but all the oppressed people in the world will wonder at our audacity. We’ll be popular again. We can get dates.

Besides, this might be the last free election in the Middle East for some time to come. The way the Sunnis are talking today, there may not even be another vote, but let us hope so. George Bush’s winning a second term was a vote of confidence in his foreign policy. Why not a vote of confidence from the Iraqi people on the ballot?

Maybe not the question I’ve proposed, but I’m certainly open to suggestions. I was against the war from the beginning, but once we’ve done it, we’ve bought Powell’s Pottery Barn analogy, we’re responsible for everything that happens afterwards. We've got to see things are set right before we leave.

Lately however, a little voice down inside of me is whispering that it doesn’t matter whether we leave in a year or six months. In our foreign policy naïveté, we may have changed the balance of power among Middle East countries and peoples. The fruits of that are yet to be harvested. Should we ask for a vote about that?