Okay, so now its up to you. Iraq is in civil war and you've been appointed

[Stinky The Clown]

US President.

Coulda-shoulda-woulda, don't count. Now its on your head. You wanted the job, so here ya go.

If you were appointed president by some feat of magic, but everything else in the world is as it *really** is, today, here in Realityville, what would you do?

No need to confine your thoughts to just Iraq. The larger world situation. The economy. The shrinking middle class, the big tears in the fabric of the social safety net. Its all fair game ... cuz yoo da man.

What do you do?

[tridim]

1. First, I'd pull back the curtain on the military industrial complex

and put every war profiteer out of business (or give them the opportunity to move into technology that will actually prolong our survival on Earth). This must happen before anything can really be done in the name of peace.

Then I'd start by severing ties with Saudi Arabia and other fundamentalist regimes that have us by the balls.

[joemurphy]

4. There's so much to do and so little time.

1. Begin an unpublicicized phased withdrawal of our military. Nothing but combat units to stay in Iraq for the present.

2. Mend fences immediately with France and Germany and particularly Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

3. Begin meeting immediately with key Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish leaders

4. Consider the partition of Iraq into the three zones that it is now.

5. Be prepared to admit a lot of Iraqis that assisted us into the country as political refugees.

6. Begin doing what we can to minimize the casualties that will inevitably result from our withdrawal.

7. Announce a withdrawal of our remaining troops along with a massive buildup of our naval presence in the Gulf.

8. Recognize the need to salvage and reequip our Army.

9. Clean house wholesale at State and Defense removing all Neocons.

10. Inaugurate congressional investigations of the use made of intelligence

11. Audit Halliburton and initiate legal proceedings to recoup losses

12. Indict all war profiteers

13. Remove all troops from any permanent bases in any Arab countries.

14. Explore the possibility of a pan-Arab force to police the partition of Iraq if such is feasible

15. Utilize UN resources to minimize violence in post-evacuation Iraq.

I think leaving Iraq will be a lot like leaving Vietnam. It will entail a lot of soul-searching and retrospectives.

[patricia92243]

5. You've got my vote! Good post!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. You mean *after* the Bush-Cheney-Rummy-Rice war crimes trials?

Which would be tops on my administration's agenda.

OK, so for starters -- I appoint Wes Clark my Secretary of State. We figure out how to withdraw troops from Iraq as soon as possible, then open negotiations with Iran and North Korea. I veto any bill that reduces taxes on the wealthy, especially the capital gains and estate taxes. I repeal all executive orders and "signing statements" that infringe on U.S. citizens' Consitutional rights. I will send legislation to Congress for the funding of stem cell research and other scientific research, especially ways of reversing global warming; and I'll promote *real* campaign finance reform, raising the minimum wage, and verified voting. I restore the Fairness Doctrine and look for ways to break up media monopolies. I will get rid of Bush's unqualified, partisan agency heads and appoint people who know what they are doing and who will further those agencies' purposes -- there will be no former coal industry executives working at my EPA. I will appoint federal judges, especially Supreme Court judges, who won't ignore the law in order to favor corporations over people.

Then, in my second week....

[mike_c]

3. re: iraq....

Troop withdrawal. Communicate to the Iraqi gov't that a full stand down of U.S. forces will occur in 30 days. Upon commencing the stand down, all American forces withdraw within 48 hrs to bases with either international transport capability or short term defensive capability (this would include Baghdad's green zone). Begin airlift of all U.S. personnel and heavy arms immediately following stand down of forces. Any stranded heavy arms should be rendered unusable and abandoned. Full withdrawal should be accomplished within 3 mos.

Reparations. Request that the U.N. Security Counsel convene to decide the issue of reparations, and that an international body be assembled to monitor and supervise the payment of reparations so that they might be used most constructively to rebuild Iraq. Unfortunately, this will likely have to wait until a stable government emerges from the ashes. In any event, the U.S. will have no input regarding the matter-- the aggressor concedes the right to dictate terms.

And while we're fantasizing:

War crimes prosecutions. Establish a Justice Department Task Force under U.N. Security Counsel oversight-- NOT congressional oversight-- charged with investigating and potentially prosecuting politicians and military personnel who might be guilty of war crimes under the Nuremberg doctrine forbidding wars of aggression. I think this could be done in the U.S. rather than at The Hague, but I'm not at all averse to allowing an international body to conduct the entire investigation-- I just think it could be accomplished more efficiently if conducted by the DoJ.

[Ilsa]

6. Well,

On Iraq, I'd explore the possibilty of carving up Iraq like it was 90 years ago before the Brits consolidated it.

I'd fix healthcare (somehow). Single-payer, special corporate taxes for it, everyone gets covered. The only health insurance left that is private would be very expensive nad for the super-rich but they wouldn't have any better access than anyone else.

The rest? I dunno.

[Warpy]

7. First, ask the Iraqis

if they want us to stay or if they'd prefer to be left to their own devices.

If it's the latter, issue a timetable for withdrawal, north to south, and stick to it.

If it's the former, issue a timetable for each region to start performing its own measures to ensure public safety. Yes, that will mean working with people we don't like. So be it. Second, kick out the corporate looters and put Iraqi contractors to work, give them the sole responsibility for rebuilding the country. Support their workers, bring in materials. Third, announce that all those fancy bases Stupid has built will be the new bases for the Iraqi army. That should improve recruitment on that front. Announce that the gilt palace being built for the US embassy be turned over to them for their new government building. Suggest they figure out how to jam listening devices before they move in. THEN issue a timetable for pulling out.

On the domestic front, since I'm now supreme dictator*, the progressive income tax, the Fairness Doctrine and enforcing antitrust and illegal immigration hiring laws will be reinstituted. Tax churches that have been politicking. HEAVILY tax CBN and all other propaganda outlets hiding behind Jesus. Open Westboro Baptist's books and see who's been funding Phelps. Get him to a lunatic asylum where he can get some help. End the drug war and take all the money earmarked for that particular black hole and build rehab centers. Redefine our military's role as a purely defensive one and put the Pentagon on a strict diet.

Give my AG the job of following the money and hauling the Repug leadership up on RICO charges for interstate racketeering and election fraud.

Fire every single Stupid appointment, all of them. Promote from within the organizations.

That would be a START, anyway. Shipping the neocons off to the Hague will have to be done if this country ever wants its reputation back. Closing Gitmo should be done on the first day. Ending rendition should be done on the first day.




*Thanks to Stupid's precedents in creating an imperial presidency.

[Robbien]

10. That is my take. I would go talk to the people. And let the world know

I am talking to everyone and that I care and will act on what happens to everyone. Right now the only people on our side are the people who gain by supporting us.

If I ruled the world, I would keep trying to figure out what is best by publically going out there and talking and figuring. Right now no one believes the US cares about anyone but the rich elite.

And they are right.

And yes, get religion out of politics. Definately.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rucky]

9. 1) Get a big map.

2) Get the apparent leaders of Sunni, Shiite & Kurdish factions together.
3) Split the map. They're not leaving until everyone's satisified & has signed peace treaties. Bring in the Arab League to broker the talks. Assure border protection to Turkey from the Kurds.
4) Form three separate governments w/ free commerce among them. Co-management of all of the oil, which goes into a single fund & redistributed equally by population.
4.5) Pay reparations into that general fund.
5) Bring in UN Peacekeepers to patrol the borders.
6) Offer repirations and/or dual citizenship to all ethnic groups displaced from the new three-country system.

[Oversea Visitor]

11. Sad

but what I see is that US with withdraw.
Then they will just continue with their life.
They will just tell the whole world.
Tough luck shit happen go fuck yourself.

Sadly I do not think there is enough Americans in US who would allow their President to face the Hague.
No, I think the conditioning that US will always take care of their own regardless of what being done will surface its head.
Might make right.

And so life will go on.