Iraq Wins the Election, What Now? - Tom Hayden

[pberq]

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1108-32.htm

Published on Wednesday, November 8, 2006 by CommonDreams.org

Iraq Wins the Election, What Now?
by Tom Hayden

<snip>
As the campaign began, consultants and bigwigs of both parties sought to keep Iraq from becoming an election issue. To their credit, the American voters disagreed, insisted on changing course, and let Iraq become the critical factor in overthrowing a rigged Republican majority.

Now what?

For sure, Rep. Henry Waxman will hold the gavel and subpoena power for hearings into war profiteering by corporate contractors. The issues surfacing in civil society, for example through distribution of Robert Greenwald's fiilm "Iraq for Sale", will suddenly be exposed under the glare of Congressional hearings.

. . .

In addition, the Democrats are sure to hold hearings, and use subpoena power, to get to the bottom of other ugly truths of the Iraq war, like the Administration fixing the "facts" to go to war.

The airing of these issues is welcome and overdue.

But the Iraq War will not end.

The Administration will continue the conflict into the 2008 election year. The Democrats refuse to end it. The national security elites believe America's image as a superpower is at stake. We've heard it all before. No one is willing to lose a war even when they know the war is unwinnable.

. . .

The anti-war movement, and their supporters in Congress, therefore will need to pursue an "inside-outside" strategy. On the inside they will have to mobilize the "Out of Iraq" caucus around an exit strategy alternative, including such proposals as:

1. the appointment of a peace envoy to begin a process of conflict resolution instead of military occupation.
2. setting a deadline for bringing our troops home within one year.
3. at the same time, ending the formal occupation and requesting the United Nations to appoint an international consortium to work with the Iraqis on security, economics and reconciliation.