Iraq - Where do we go from here?

Huckabee's plan:

The good:
"I support a regional summit so that Iraq's neighbors become financially and militarily committed to stabilizing Iraq now rather than financially and militarily committed to widening the war later."

"Withdrawal would have serious strategic consequences for us and horrific humanitarian consequences for the Iraqis. If we leave, Iraq's neighbors on all sides will face a refugee crisis and be drawn into the war: Iran to protect the Shiites; Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan to protect the Sunnis; and Turkey to protect its control over its own Kurd population. Iraq is a crossroads where Arab meets Persian and Kurd, Sunni meets Shiite, so if it's not a peaceful buffer, it can easily become a tinder box for the region. " (I am impressed that he realizes exactly how much of an impact Iraq can have.)

The bad: "The Democrats delusionally deny that the war in Iraq is part of the war on terror even as we fight Al Qaeda there." (Great strategy for solving Iraq's political problems... let's insult the Democrats! I'm sure THAT will help Iraq become stable... *rolling eyes*)

Notes from me: It seems like Huckabee is so busy blasting Democrats, and talking about the evil of Al Queda and terrorism, that he doesn't have time to make a definate plan for how to "win" in Iraq. I think his goals are noble... but I'd like to see a lot more details about how he plans to accomplish those goals.

My opinion of his plan: ***** (1 Star)

Hillary 's plan:


The good: "As president, Hillary would focus American aid efforts during our redeployment on stabilizing Iraq, not propping up the Iraqi government. She would direct aid to the entities -- whether governmental or non-governmental -- most likely to get it into the hands of the Iraqi people."


"In her first days in office, Hillary would convene a regional stabilization group composed of key allies, other global powers, and all of the states bordering Iraq. The- mission of this group would be to develop and implement a strategy to create a stable Iraq. It would have three specific goals:
*Non-interference. Working with the U.N. representative, the group would work to convince Iraq's neighbors to refrain from getting involved in the civil war.
*Mediation. The group would attempt to mediate among the different sectarian groups in Iraq with the goal of attaining compromises on fundamental points of disputes.
*Reconstruction funding. The members of the group would hold themselves and other countries to their past pledges to provide funding to Iraq and will encourage additional contributions to meet Iraq's extensive needs. "

Note from me: I really get the impression that Hillary has thought her plan through. I like the fact that she plans to take Iraq and make it a "group project" by including other nations in the work to rebuild and stabilize the country. The goal of non-interference seems nice, but unreachable... I'm a little worried about that. I wonder how she plans to convince the states bordering Iraq NOT to interfere?

My opinion of her plan? ***** (4 stars)

Obama's plan:

The bad: "Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months... The best way to press Iraq’s leaders to take responsibility for their future is to make it clear that we are leaving. As we remove our troops, Obama will engage representatives from all levels of Iraqi society – in and out of government – to seek a new accord on Iraq’s Constitution and governance."


*Note from me: His plan is basically to immediately withdraw from Iraq, thereby forcing the Iraqi officials to work & solve their own problems. I'm a little afraid of this approach... not of the withdrawl, but of the lack of planning for how to get Iraq stabilized with their own functional government.


The good: "Obama will launch the most aggressive diplomatic effort in recent American history to reach a new compact on the stability of Iraq and the Middle East. This effort will include all of Iraq’s neighbors — including Iran and Syria. This compact will aim to secure Iraq’s borders; keep neighboring countries from meddling inside Iraq; isolate al Qaeda; support reconciliation among Iraq’s sectarian groups; and provide financial support for Iraq’s reconstruction."

My opinion of his plan: ***** (3 Stars)

McCain's plan:

The bad: "More troops are necessary to clear and hold insurgent strongholds; to provide security for rebuilding local institutions and economies; to halt sectarian violence in Baghdad and disarm Sunni and Shia militias; to dismantle al Qaeda; to train the Iraqi Army; and to embed American personnel in Iraqi police units."

"The United States must also bolster its regional military posture to make clear to Iran our determination to protect our forces in Iraq and to deter Iranian intervention in that country. " (Wow... is it just me, or does that sound a bit like he wants war with Iran as well??)

The good: "America's ultimate strategy is to give Iraqis the capabilities to govern and secure their own country." (We have a GOAL! *happy clap*)

"Building a capable Iraqi army is a central requirement for ensuring Iraq's ability to govern and protect itself long after American forces have withdrawn."

Notes from me: McCain seems to have a VERY detailed strategy for bringing stability and independece to Iraq. I also think it is very good that he realizes that Iraq DOES need to have a capable army of it's own... so that it isn't defenseless and easily conquered by other nations in the area.

My opinion of his plan: ***** (3 Stars)

Romney's plan:

I have looked all around his website, and can't find ANYTHING about his plan for Iraq. If anyone else knows the location of his opinion, please let me know so i can include it here!

I think we can all agree on what we want to happen... we all want Iraq to become a safe, free, independent nation. We all want our troops home as soon as that goal has been accomplished.

Each politician though, has a different method for making that happen. One wants more military presence, to make the citizens feel safe. One wants to unite other nations, including the ones surrounding Iraq, to make helping Iraq a common goal. One wants to bring the troops home, so that the political factions in Iraq will be forced to work together.

My question for the day:

What method do YOU think will best help Iraq?