$225 Billion and still no exit plan

[struggle4progress]

$225 Billion and still no exit plan
By Eric Leaver
MinutemanMedia.org

President George W. Bush has now asked Congress and the U.S. taxpayers for the fourth time in two years for more money to fight the Iraq War. This time the request is for $82 billion, the highest amount asked for so far. But more striking than the dollar amount is that Mr. Bush, for the fourth time, has failed to present a strategy for success in Iraq. <snip>

First and foremost, the Iraqi people deserve a plan. In national elections, Iraqis took the valiant step of voting in order to change the course of events. While the jubilation in the streets was very real, it masked another reality--over two-thirds of the Shi'ites want U.S. forces out of Iraq either immediately or once the elected government is in place. <snip>

In the United States, we also deserve a plan. Our soldiers and their families are suffering the most, with 1,500 troops dying so far. Morale is becoming a problem. Many soldiers have been deployed to Iraq several times in the past two years. An estimated 40,000 soldiers have been subject to involuntary extensions of their service, and those in the Reserve and National Guard have been serving exceedingly long tours. <snip>

As Congress considers Bush's request for $82 billion over the next few weeks, members should demand a plan for winning the peace. Such a plan must include clear, achievable goals, a timetable for withdrawal, benchmarks for reconstruction, and a real estimate of the total cost. <snip>

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[givemebackmycountry]

1. There is no exit plan, because we don't ever plan to exit...

We are there for good.
Or at least until we have stolen all of their oil.

[struggle4progress]

2. I agree. But mainstream America will move only slowly towards ...

... such an unflattering description of its foreign policy, which requires people to stop deluding themselves with self-congratulatory noises about "our good intentions." We cannot postpone all real political work until beliefs perfectly match realities.

[indepat]

3. Fourteen permanent military bases would seem to make that quite clear