Lex Iraq study group releases 7 point plan

The Lex study group on Iraq comprised high-minded, right-thinking, military, social and religious leaders has released their findings:

1. Win the war. Too little of the talk about Iraq, be it on the right or the left, frames our national interests in Iraq and the need for victory. President Bush, Joe Lieberman, Rick Santorum and just a few others have taken a consistent stand that our exit strategy will be one a of front door exit after victory as opposed to a backdoor exit and the defeat of “peace with honor” BS. Everything else in recommendations will be framed as means toward victory.

2. KillSadr. The man is a menace. He is destabilizing the government and is the main cause for the sectarian violence in and around Baghdad. If his Madhi army should rise up as a result of his death, kill them as well.

3. Talk with Syria and Iran. Tell them any further medaling in Iraq will have dire consequences. When they ignore the warning, follow through a cause something in those countries to be blown up.

4. Define Middle East stability. Stability is not a bunch of despots oppressing the people of the region. Since that is what the region currently consists of, the Middle East will become more and more unstable before it becomes stable. And oh by the way, it's our petro dollars funding the despots and both sides of the regions instability.

5. Talk with our Middle East "allies". Tell them the current system of unelected kings, emirs, sultans and presidents is a human rights abomination. Tell them democracy is coming to the region. They can get in front of or on the train or they can get run over by it.

6. Reinforce success in the Kurdish portion of Iraq. It is already a largely autonomous region. If Iraq does split up our best hope maintaining a foothold in there is in the Kurdish area. Also it will send a clear message of were success lies for the rest of Iraq. If the Kurdish region continues to prosper, it will demonstrate to other Iraqis that we are more interested in reinforcing success rather than pour our resources into sink holes of sectarian violence. Sooner or later, people in Baghdad will notice and want what the Kurds have.

7. Get off Middle East oil. Stability in the region will get much worse before it gets better. As such, it is foolish to continue to rely on that region for our economic health. Initiate a ten year energy independence plan that maximizes our own abundant energy resources and our technological advantages to get off Middle East oil. Conservation alone will not do the trick. We are at the low point of our energy needs right now. Each year we will require more. Nuclear, coal, hydrogen sources of energy all need to be quickly exploited.