Four Plans On What To Do About Iraq

'Go Big,' 'Go Long,' 'Go Home,' & 'Go Iraqi'

(CBS/AP)  McCain said the U.S. must send an overwhelming number of troops to stabilize Iraq or face more attacks, both in the region and possibly on American soil.

"The consequences of failure are so severe that I will exhaust every possibility to try to fix this situation. Because it's not the end when American troops leave. The battleground shifts, and we'll be fighting them again," McCain said. "You read Zarqawi [the late leader of al Qaeda in Iraq], and you read [Osama] bin Laden... It's not just Iraq that they're interested in. It's the region, and then us."

President Bush says he is awaiting recommendations from the military before making a decision on the next step for Iraq.

"I haven't made any decisions about troop increases or troop decreases, and won't until I hear from a variety of sources," President Bush said Monday as he visited Indonesia.

Mr. Bush spoke a day after a bleak assessment on the Iraq war was offered by Henry Kissinger, the former Secretary of State who was heavily involved with U.S. policy on Vietnam.

Kissinger, who now runs a private consulting firm, says the U.S. should enter into dialogue with Iraq's neighbors - including Iran — to make progress in the region.

"If you mean by 'military victory' an Iraqi Government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don't believe that is possible," said Kissinger, in a BBC interview.

Several Democrats are arguing for a phased withdrawal of American forces.

Democratic Sen. Carl Levin, the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says troop withdrawals should begin within four to six months.

Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama is also calling for a "gradual and substantial" withdrawal of soldiers from Iraq.

"I believe that it remains possible to salvage an acceptable outcome to this long and misguided war," says Obama, another potential candidate for president. "But it will not be easy. For the fact is that there are no good options left in this war."

In an interview Sunday on NBC's "Today Show," Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden, the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says the United States should "begin to let the Iraqi leadership know we're not going to be staying."

"Over the next four months, let them know we're going to start to phase out, force them to have to address the central issue. That is not 'How to stand up Iraqis,' but 'How to get Iraqis to stand together,'" said Biden. "The idea that we're going to have 140,000 troops in Iraq this time next year is just not reasonable."

Also Sunday, Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New York proposed a military draft, which the administration has repeatedly said it does not need.

Speaking on CBS' Face The Nation, Rangel, the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said "this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm's way."

Monday, House Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., responded to Rangel's comments.

"Mr. Rangel is a strong voice for social justice," incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Monday, adding that Rangel is making "a point about this war, that it has not involved any shared sacrifices."

Rangel says he will introduce a bill next year requiring Americans to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18. He has said the all volunteer military disproportionately puts the burden of war on minorities and lower-income families.

Asked whether the bill will come to the House floor, soon-to-be House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said: "The Speaker and I have discussed scheduling and it did not include this."

[w_ashley]

(part 2)
iraq has been in isolation longenough that the foreign economy isn't strong..the best way to in the war is with trade, and removal of western influence that can be seen as an occupation or netgative.. i.e. charities etc.. but anti est wont be won with violence.. it will take assistance and not you killing some iraqi's brother etc..
much like iranians iraqi's appear to be relatively fun loving people on one side, it is just that the y have a much sharper heart versus a much heavier heart of the west. etc..etc.. leave now and supportthe government with aid, not forces. let them handle their interior matters themselves, the area ain't going anywhere fast.. do you know how far 200 billion would go in defending isreael from arab states?

[w_ashley]

Doesn't selective service sign up already exist.

US should pull out immediately and let democracy of government form itself with the jenga underside.

The only benifit to the US is the training of an operational theatre.

Iran can't touch isreal without loosing out on it's future.

Isreal should be more interested in getting operational THEL batteries protecting it borders, than anything else. (rather than things like clusterbombs and bunker bursters.

2008 dems chances are dramaticly high, with the house and the presidency on anti war reducing troop numbers is easier unless friction builds.

essentially though the plan has been the same, reduce the resistance of the old forces not aligned to the new "iraqi" government, get rid of saddam and his allies(that arn't turn coats), and reduce the influence of islam in the government. and set up a house of cards.

once the neo iraqi forces are strong enough to maintain that is that.. iran gains inluence in shiite majority, and the sunni's are weakened regionally to a certain extent. a low key civil ar continues but petters out if political process grants a consensus.. once iraqis are concerned iht only iraqis and not traitors of iraq the politics will transist back to islam.. there is no ifs ans or buts, it is just the amount of time it takes to get over with.

[mh4cbs1]

Bush/Cheney have unleashed a 9-11 level of civilian death and destruction EVERY MONTH

month after month after month

They LIED us into this needless War OF Terror. That makes them War Criminals. More murderous than Osama.

JAIL CHENEY JAIL BUSH

Bring our Troops Home NOW.

[pakaal]

I wish I knew if McCain was just making speeches for his 2008 presidential bid or actually saying what he means. If the former, reprehensible, if the latter, ignorant. He's virtually alone in the "bring in more troops" approach - and where will we get them anyway? Rangel's idea to reinstate the draft is going nowhere fast. New polls show Iraqis of all viewpoints (Kurds, Sunnis, Shiites) want the US out. More than 3/4 of those surveyed said we're making things worse over there.