obama's plan to end the iraq war

[goku2008]

guess you guys can't say obama doesn't have substance



BARACK OBAMA: TURNING THE PAGE IN IRAQ


"My plan for ending the war would turn the page in Iraq by removing our combat troops from Iraq’s civil war;
by taking a new approach to press for a new accord on reconciliation within Iraq; by talking to all of Iraq’s
neighbors to press for a compact in the region; and by confronting the human costs of this war."



OBAMA'S PLAN TO RESPONSI

Barack Obama opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning. In 2002, as the conventional thinking in
Washington lined up for war, Obama had out against the war. He said the
war would lead to "an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs and undetermined
consequences." In January 2007, Obama introduced legislation to responsibly end the war in Iraq, with a phased
withdrawal of troops engaged in combat operations.

As the nation debates how to move forward in Iraq, Obama laid out his plan to end the war, as well as his vision
for what America can achieve once we turn the page in Iraq.


next year. He would call for a new constitutional
convention in Iraq, convened with the United Nations, which would not adjourn until Iraq’s leaders reach a new
accord on reconciliation. He would use pr
. And he would take immediate steps to confront the
to hold accountable any perpetrators


THE SURGE IS NOT WORKING
"The stated purpose of the surge was to enable Iraq's pol
Our troops fight and die in the 120 degree heat to give Iraq's leaders space to agree, but they are not filling it. .
. . The bar for success is so low that it is almost buried in the sand."

Iraqi Government Not Stepping Up: The goal of the troop surge was to create space for Iraq’s political
q’s civil war. In January 2007, President Bush said the goal of the surge


has not stepped up. In early Septem
Accountability Office found the Iraqi government has not enacted legislation to meet critical benchmarks on de-
provincial elections, amnesty, and militia disarmament that are key to
beginning national reconciliation.

Paid for by Obama for America


Uneven Gains Not Sustainable Without Iraqi Action: At great cost, our troops have helped reduce violence
the record levels of violence in late 2006 and early
2007. As The New York Times reported in a wide-ranging investigation, violence has decreased in certain
ically homogenous as minority groups have fled. Most
importantly, as a commission headed by General Jim Jones reported, the Iraqi Security Forces must take
responsibility for holding the security gains created by the surge, but they are not doing so.

Anbar Province Success Not Related to Surge: The reduced violence in Anbar Province is the result of
cooperation between American forces and Sunni tribes, which started more than 18 months ago, long before the
surge. The province is overwhelmingly Sunni, and the tribal leaders there made a political decision to turn
that the solutions in Iraq
are political, not military.


AMERICAN MILITARY CANNOT SUSTAI N CURRENT STRATEGY IN IRAQ
"Our troops have performed brilliantly. . . . The excellence of our military is unmatched. But as a result of this
our troop presence cannot be sustained without crippling


Military Stretched Thin: The military is being seve

more than once. Army Chief of St
meeting the current demands and we're unable to provide ready forces as rapidly as we would like for other
contingencies.” According to the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO), 30 percent of the Marines’
abroad. In addition, the Army National Guard has just
a third of its required equipment on hand today in non-deployed units due to war losses and wear and tear.



protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to
resolve their civil war is to begin immediately to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year –
now."

All Combat Troops Redeployed by 2009: Barack Obama would immediately begin redeploying American
troops from Iraq. The withdrawal would be strategic and phased, directed by military commanders on the
ground and done in consultation with the Iraqi government. Troops would be removed from secure areas first,
The drawdown would begin immediately with one to two

year.

Residual Force to Remain: Under the Obama
American troops will protect American diplomatic and military personnel in Iraq, and continue striking at al
progress and their security forces are not sectarian, we would also
continue training the Iraqi Security Forces. In the event of an outbreak of genocide, we would reserve the right
to intervene, with the international community, if that intervention was needed to provide civilians with a safe-
haven.

Withdrawal is the Best Way to Pressure Iraqi Government: Iraq’s leaders have put off reconciling and
fforts to pressure them to act. Drawing down our troop

Paid for by Obama for America

presence is the best way to finally apply real pressure on
accommodations necessary to heal the nation's sectarian ri
security to their people.

Afghanistan: Barack Obama believes that we need to begin to end the war in order to finish the fight in
igades (7,000 personnel) of rested, trained American
troops to Afghanistan to reinforce our counter-terrorism operations and support NATO’s efforts to fight the
Taliban.


A NEW EFFORT TOWARDS IRAQ I NATIONAL RECONCILIATION
"Removing our troops is part of applying real pressure on Iraq’s leaders to end their civil war… The problems

from all levels of Iraqi society – in and out of government.”

A United Nations-Led Constitutional Convention:
referendum, is the product of a Kurdish–Shiite deal. Ir
develop a more sustainable balance between Baghdad's
centralized authority and provincial governments. They never did. Barack Obama would have the United
would include representatives from all levels of Iraqi
society. The convention would not adjourn until national reconciliation is reached and contentious questions
such as federalism, oil revenue sharing, and de-Ba'athification are resolved.

The Obama plan would encourage the Iraqi
government to adopt policies that give regional and local groups a sufficient stake in the center so they are

ensure local communities can protect themselves without threatening ot
transparency in local security efforts to reduce anxieties among all sects that America intends to support one
sect over another. Obama also would crack down on the use of American foreign assistance to sectarian ends or
two recent studies, one of which concluded the United
States cannot account for 190,000 weapons provided to Iraqi Security Forces and another which found weapons
issued by the United States to Iraqi Security Forces among Kurdish militants in Turkey.


A DIPLOMATIC SURGE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
"At every stage of this war, we have suffered because of disdain for diplomacy. . . .
We need to launch the most aggressive diplomatic effort in recent history to reach a new compact in the region.

unity.”

Support for Iraqi Stability:
threat. He would press Sunni Arab states like Saudi
Arabia to use their influence to encourage Iraqi Sunnis to reconcile.
Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia to stem the flow of foreign fighters, arms, and financial resources into Iraq.
Obama also would be a tough negotiator with Syria and


Prevent the War's Spread Beyond Iraq: To prevent spillover -- in particular, Turkish or Iranian adventurism -
at would ensure commitments by Iraq's neighbors to
non-intervention and to Iraq's territorial integrity.

Paid for by Obama for America


A New Cooperative Security Framework in the Gulf: As we disengage from Iraq's civil war, America needs
to support regional sources of stability. This is particularly important given






"President Bush likes to warn of the dire consequences of ending the war….he warns of huge movements of
refugees and mass sectarian killing, but that has already taken place. These are not the consequences of a
future withdrawal. They are the reality of Iraq’s present. . . . We have a strategic interest – and a moral
obligation – to act."


country. There are another two million Iraqi refugees living beyond Iraq's borders. More than 1,000 Iraqi
civilians die every month. Sectarian death squads roam Baghdad. The humanitarian crisis that President Bush


Take Care of Refugees: Barack Obama would establish an international working group dedicated to
addressing the Iraqi refugee crisis. He would increase Am s refugees and internally
displaced people and to the neighboring countries that house them to at least $2 billion. He would work with
access to social services for refugees. He also would


Secure International Assistance: Obama would secure greater regional
contributions to humanitarian relief, refugee care and integration, and economic assistance. Obama would build
ssion in Iraq, encouraging the European Union, the
Arab League, and other regional groupings to expand their relief and assistance efforts.

Prevent Genocide: Barack Obama


investigator who can gather testimonies of survivors and investigate
escorts to civilians who voluntarily choose to move from religiously heterogeneous areas to communities where

partners, to suppress genocidal violence within Iraq.

[jody]

1. Where's the beef? n/t

[FrenchieCat]

2. The beef is right there......

It's the ham in the Clinton camp that worries me.

[jody]

3. Where? Anyone with a modicum of knowledge of military strategy knows the U.S. made the mess and we

have a moral obligation to provide air cover and logistics until Iraq is able to secure its borders and put down insurrections.

I don't like that because Bush was an idiot to preemptively invade Iraq, kill hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens, and destroy the country's infrastructure. I support trying Bush as a war criminal.

Now that that's off my chest, I recognize the U.S. created the mess and we have a moral obligation to try too minimize any further damage to Iraq.

That means we must as a minimum provide air cover and logistics for several years. I doubt if Iraq could field an air force in less than a decade and logistics may take that long although it should decline sharply after 3-5 years.

Iraq trained its military before Bush invaded and I see no reason why they need us to show them how to do that job.

I don't see the wisdom of teaching them our tactics because they aren't working for us and probably won't work for Iraqi troops.