Where are Progressives on Iraq?

A day after the Democratic Presidential debate I find myself wondering where is the activism among these candidates? And why the confusion on Iraq? Why are we not talking about getting the F*** out of there as soon as possible? Instead we have Hillary saying "vigorous negotiation," Barack Obama saying - hey if I was in charge I would make them come home. The only respectable position is Dennis Kucinich - as usual.

Today, from the Center for American Progress, a memo has been released that warns these candidates to stop the confusion. While conservatives refuse to give in and have increasingly beat the drum for war with Iran progressives need a plan and we as citizens need to demand it. Casualties are down in Iraq, there is no question about that, however there is a report by the respected GAO that this is due to tragic ethnic cleansing. The political reconciliation in Iraq is as far away as possible (the reason for the surge), all the while the Kurds and the Turks begin their own drumbeat to war.

The new memo from the Center for American Progress says:

Several leading foreign policy thinkers and security institutes–some of the same ones who were wrong about going to war in Iraq in the first place and wrong about how to deal with the war’s first four years–have helped build the case that aided the country’s slide into strategic drift. Instead of offering plans that clarify the current drift, they have perpetuated it by triangulating against supposedly “irresponsible” withdrawal plans. Just as conservatives in Congress have done, they have failed to question the flawed premises at the heart of the administration’s Iraq strategy.

Some progressive candidates have defaulted to policies of strategic drift because of legitimate fears about what might happen in Iraq, focused on three main concerns: terrorist sanctuaries, regional war, and humanitarian catastrophe. Yet ironically, strategic drift forestalls the actual hard work needed to avoid these potential dangers and does little or nothing to prevent them. Keeping tens of thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq until the end of the next presidential term not only serves to prolong these problems but also creates new ones.

The Memo goes on to say “Progressives should start with a firm statement that America will undertake a strategic phased redeployment of its troops in a defined period of time,” the memo says. Without taking such a definitive stand, progressives risk drifting along with a policy that will have “severe consequences” for America’s security. Read the full memo here.

I truly believe the lack of any idea on what to do here and timidity on the part of the democrats is because of corporate funding. The democrats are outraising the Republicans 2 to 1 in corporate donations and these donations impede democrats from independence of freeing us from this disastrous war. And is also leading us into a path to war with Iran. The same people who have been wrong about the war, the plan for war and everything else are still controlling the argument and the democrats just feed right in. Tuesday's debate was like a Republican talking points debate, or course this happens when the debate is run by the very conservative MSNBC.

There is no reason to continue this war for any reason. It is time to leave. If we do not Republicans, neocons, theocons will have us in another war with Iran and Pakistan waiting in the wings.