What could Kerry do realistically to make things in Iraq better?

How might he distinguish himself from Bush on this matter? *key word being realistically.

Yes, realistically. Put the troops on ships, planes, etc. and get the fuck out. Before we have to sit through another episode of Nightline like the one I just watched. :cry: :puke:

Just my gut feeling, but I think our NATO and UN allies would like a fresh start at good relations with us. They won't do it with bush as president, but I think if Kerry is elected, our allies would give him a "honeymoon" and help us out. Kerry, of course, would need to make certain concessions to them such as letting the UN in on what's happening over there.

to people and listen to them. find a common ground and build from that.thats just a start...

Bush is just in stasis. We don't know where he's going, he doesn't know where he's going and the Iraqis don't know where they're going. Just give it a direction, already.

with a variety of choices from peaceful pullout to full on PNAC war with Syria. It would be a triumph of direct democracy.

If we stay, we need more troops, lots more troops. Foreign troops, including troops from Muslim countries would be best. The people of Iraq cannot move on to normal living, until there is security.

Or we can leave. Tell the Iraqis we are leaving, & they need to put together a government in a hurry. This tactic may also help increase international participation, because an unstable Iraq is a threat to most countries, mostly those in the Mideast.

We need to fish or cut bait. The current policy is a disaster.

I'd start with that executive order. Look it up on Google if you haven't.

We could start paying Iraqis to rebuild instead of Haliburton.

We could let them design their own flag.

We could let them run their own government.

We could hand Chalabi over to Jordan instead of foisting him on the Iraqis.

We could cut other countries in on the oil contracts and have instant allies.

We could invite in a UN led, ISLAMIC occupation force.

We could get the hell out of there and show some moral courage where democracy is concerned for once.

Mark my words, it is fear and cowardice that keep us from seeing alternatives there.

when the timing is right..

For now:

The Bush WH is seriously fractured with all the sordid dirty Iraqi laundry pushing through the news, leaving Rove in a forced cease fire mode temporarily. Well, not quite, he tried unsuccessfully creating a diversion the other day by lobbing a petite smear at Sen. Clinton, using a retooled old dead horse story which never quite got out of the gate.

Sen. Kerry is almost at the point of saying: "STOP the MUSIC" meaning (the lies and the cover ups coming from the WH) and laying down a well thought out speech filling the void that has fortuitously opened up for him. We're almost at critical mass stage, but I'm not close enough to insiders to know if we have reached the perfect threshold yet.I know what needs to be said because Americans are ready to listen, but timing is everything, and the timing has to be just right for maximum effect.

just my little rant to help out if I can-

Aside from the deciet filled pied piping that got us here, has opened an amazing opportunity for a hopeful vision.

But mark my words, Bush would come out within two days and say he'd been planning to do the same thing all along, no matter what Kerry said.

He did that to Al Gore over and over. Remember how Bush was not going to raid Social Security and they mocked Gore's lock box comments.

I just hope this time around people realize he's had four years to do anything he darn well wanted, and he did. We are right where he has put us.

but nevertheless an opening..

However, thinking back, Gore was somewhat hamstrung because the people weren't aware of the vicious, corrupt, predatory nature of the sadistic Fundy's like Bush/Rove/Cheney...

The complexion of politic has cleared up dramatically in the last few weeks drawing striking contrasts and dissimilarities to the partys in spite of the WH aficionados constant Cuisinart drone blending them into one party..

Simply stated Demos aren't vicious, vexatious or vindictative...

This is WAR... demos have the advantage right now. The right tone has to be struck to stay the void.

The old saying about the government goes:

"Once you find them in the wrong...keep them there"...works!

I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just saying be ready to roll with the counterblow.

When Bush says, "Well, I was gonna do that too, " be ready to fire back with, "Then in the name of all that's holy, WHY THE HELL HAVEN'T YOU? You are the commander in chief."

Then lay every oderous, turd-shaped sawbuck right at his feet and leave them there.

So, you begin at the beginning..

Every act performed by Bush has a corresponding covert act, as a lock.

If he wins, Kerry may be planning to close up shop in Iraq after he is inaugurated. He just can't say it now because the corporate media will go banannas, and there is a substantial number of Americans who are still persuaded by the logic that we have to stay for the sake of American "honor".

he has to find out *why* *where* and *who* gave the order (from the higher ups) for the malicious treatment of the Iraqi prisoners using Independent contractors teaching our troops their racist torture methods.

We have to think of our troops as abused children. Because they are! Abused by Bush's incessant glut for power, using his corporate cronys to accomplish his goals.

The contractors used to commit these atrocities are employees of one of Bush's corporate donors and are paid with taxpayer dollars...The public has a right to know how their money is spent.

Fling this fireball at Bush when you find out WHO ordered this treatment. Then string all of the past covert activities together, through the courts and the Executive Orders that have wound us up in this spiderweb of a government gone rouge.

That, by itself, would be leaps and bounds better than Bush. Not go off half-cocked into Fallujah, knowing that you never bluster in war if you don't intend to follow through. Bluster is absolutely worthless. Just not being George Bush is likely to get a ton of international help, in and of itself. Understanding that democracies and economies grow from the bottom up. Putting the money into Iraq through grassroots type organizations is something I've been waiting for somebody to say for a very long time. He finally said it today. There's an awful lot Kerry can do to make things in Iraq better and he laid them out today to a crowd that was more than receptive. Broke into applause about every 3 minutes. I don't know how anybody could watch that 1/2 hour speech and not want to rip George Bush out of the White House instantaneously.

Iraqy companies are capable and they are a lot less expensive then US corporations. And any profits they make would stay in Iraq; it's their country, it's their economy. The way the US is doing the reconstruction now just looks to much like robbing Iraq - which of course it is. Same thing with the oil production; it's their oil.

It'd be right thing to do anyway,and it'd be a gesture of good faith, a sign that the new President of the US is really going to do thing differently in Iraq.

The focus should be on cleaning up the mess that Bush made, away from occupying Iraq, fighting the Iraqies and robbing them blind.

I realize US troops cannot just all pull out from one day to the next, but haste should be made in moving any non-Iraqi troops there under international authority. The goal should be to get out of there asap.

First of all. All American contractors need to go. Iraqis have the brains to get the infrastructure rebuilt. We have to pay for it. This can't be seen as a cash grab. Real elections. No CPA, let the majority select the leader. Reparations: Pay each and every Iraqi a healthy sum as a I'm sorry gesture. They can pool the money to get the oil flowing. Build things. Make schools. We need to provide a overwhelming hot cash injection to get the economy going. And this money can not go to Pepsi and Microsoft. It needs to go to local shops and manufactures.

MY stupid 2 cents..