Dems should push for an Iraqi referendum on the US occupation

[welshTerrier2]

Americans should be represented on the withdrawal issue only if we are demanding that our troops WITHDRAW ... a majority of Americans have called for withdrawal ASAP ...

but Americans should have no right to say our troops should STAY ... that should NOT be OUR decision ... that choice should be left to the Iraqi people ... polls taken in Iraq on continued US military presence were overwhelmingly in favor of kicking the US out of Iraq ... but these polls are almost 9 months old now ...

Democrats should be calling for a referendum on this issue to allow the Iraqi people to vote on what THEY would prefer ... has any Democrat, even one, done that? or have Democrats fallen victim to the same paternalistic arrogance of bush and the neo-cons?? either way, they should issue a call for a national referendum of the Iraqi people to determine whether the US stays or goes ...

if Democrats want unity with the anti-war left, let them empower the Iraqi people to choose ...

source: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_abigail__051013_should_the_u_s__with.htm

What the U.S. public wants is much discussed in the media–nearly every week poll results are announced indicating how many people believe the United States should withdraw all or some troops from Iraq (63 percent, according to the latest USA Today/CNN Gallup Poll) and how many believe the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq (59 percent, from the same poll). As U.S. citizens we certainly have an interest in whether the troops stay. Our tax money funds the U.S. military presence, and our young men and women are being killed and injured there. So our opinions matter. <skip>

Some polls have asked Iraqis specifically about the presence of U.S. troops, and guess what: they want us to leave. A February poll by the U.S. military, cited by the Brookings Institution, found that 71 percent of Iraqis “oppose the presence of Coalition Forces in Iraq.” This poll was taken only in urban areas, but others have found much the same sentiment. According to a January 2005 poll by Abu Dhabi TV/Zogby International, 82 percent of Sunni Arabs and 69 percent of Shiite Arabs favor the withdrawal of U.S. troops either immediately or after an elected government is in place.

But an opinion poll does not carry the weight of a referendum, in which all Iraqis could clearly and definitively vote on whether or not U.S. troops should remain in their country. This can be done: Kurdish activists organized a referendum on independence during the January national elections in Iraq, which found that over 90 percent of Kurd voters want independence for the region. On October 15 Iraqis vote, in another referendum, on whether to accept a new constitution. <skip>

It appears that we as a nation are so self-absorbed that both the hawks and the doves among us have forgotten to ask what those most affected by the war–the Iraqi people themselves--want. Let us remedy this situation by supporting a referendum and then abiding by the results. Let the Iraqi people decide.

[npincus]

1. I like the idea but one thing I am worried about

once Dems embrace the Iraqi anti-occupation movment WITHIN Iraq, then do we open ourselves to extremists who may try to influence the outcome of our election, perhaps by some act of terror or even assassination?

After all, B*Sh is the gift that keeps on giving, in terms of forces who wish to destabilize the formation of an Iraqi "democracy" (largely disffected Sunnis)... the American presence is an excuse to recruit help from outside (the insurgent supporters coming in from Syria, not only terrorists but those (Syrians, Iranians, Jordanians, etc.) who wish to weaken the US through a protacted occupation in Iraq). Not to mention the US occupation is a fantastic recruiting tool for al Qaeda. There are many who WANT us to stay- mainly enemies of establishing peace in Iraq and enemies of the US. The more a particular American political group engages with an Iraqi anti-occupation movement, the more we inadvertantly get sucked into their internal politcal struggles and expose ourselves to possible manipulations of our political outcomes here at home through actions here or abroad.

So, I like this idea but would prefer it have bipartisan sponsorship and not become a platform for any one political party. Personally, I feel like some Repugs may start flipping soon on their Iraq stance, now that Chimp's polls are in the toilet. I would hope a strong anti-war sentiment takes hold on the OTHER side, so this issue is no longer politicized and EVERYBODY agrees we need to get the hell OUT.

My dream would be to have both GOP and Dem 2008 presidential candidates advocate immediate withdrawal from Iraq- that's what's called hedging your bets.

[enigma000]

2. The December elections could be that referendum n/t