This would be a good start. We should also find Feingold-Democrats willing to make the public

offer of closing/ abandoning/ turning over all the

big permanent NATO-quality bases we are building

in the Iraqi deserts. A sincere willingness to

abandon these bases would signal a willingness

on our part to non-Colonize Iraq, which could make

ordinary Iraqis more trusting of our intention

to depart.

We could also announce our willingness to accept any Iraqi decision to overturn and abrogate

all the Bremer Decrees relating to forced privatization of public assets, especially forced

privatization of the publicly owned oil fields in

Iraq. In other words, if the Feingold Democrats

announced that Iraqi re-nationalization of the

oilfields and oil industry is just fine with America, some of the insurgents might feel they

have less to insurge about.

The "cabal" that took us to war was the Bush administration. Not a Vice-President and Secretary of Defense, not a group of Chickenhawk Neo-cons, not Chalabi and not the INC. Not anyone less than President George W. Bush and his entire team. Including Secretary of State Colin Powell and his staff. Even the Democratic leadership fell into line rather than stand alone. Now those who hauled water for this plan are slap fighting in the press.

This war was a politically motivated mistake. Unfortunately that is not a unique distinction in American history. We will all pass away without blame being properly apportioned and responsibility accepted. The issue to focus on now is not how many have died to this point. But how many will have to die on the path out of Baghdad.

Exit Strategy is a term shunned by the Republicans who sold the war and the Democrats that bought it. But it is time to dismiss the concerns of politicians. There are no elected heroes in Washington. Throw the Bums out is as reasonable a plan as any, given the sorry state they have brought upon our nation. "Bring it on" is the type of thing you hear from a drunk teenager. The Congress should have taken the keys. Now it is up to the voters.

I'm a democrat who watched in sadness as my party caved to the war machine in the days leading up to war. I have no gift of prophecy and no specialized skills here, but I predicted to friends before the war that we'd be in a state much like the current one. Did Congress really believe they'd be handing out palms and celebrating democracy in the streets of Baghdad after 3 days of conflict? Just as this is an unconventional "war" to begin with, any idea of victory has always seemed unconvincing to me.

Now I am frustrated that my party and my people were lied to, Bin laden is still unaccounted for, the execution of the operation has been incompetent and corrupt, millions of (apparently unfunded) dollars are wasted, US soldiers have committed war crimes, god knows how many Iraqis have perished for this, the world hates us, 2000 brave soldiers (many of whom, we have heard, have lacked adequate supplies and armor) have given their lives for sleazy no-bid contracts and general financial gain for the golf pals of this administration. Support the troops, I say: bring them home now.

And still my party offers scant leadership. I don't get it, and I am angry and frustrated that our country's foreign policy has made us the scourge of the world. Sorry to ventilate thus, but this war is to me a very very ugly chapter in American history.

Apart from the nonsense about fighting terrorism, and the lies about weapons of mass destruction, there was another reason for this war in the first place. The anti-war protesters often pointed it out: No war for oil. That reason was never openly admitted, but it surely has something to do with the "NATO-quality military bases" that a previous letter-writer mentioned. And with the unwillingness of many in both parties to think publicly and seriously about a withdrawal from Iraq.

James Howard Kunstler discusses the issue this week in his blog in provocative terms. See http://jameshowardkunstler.typepad.com/clusterfuck_nation/2005/10/they_lied_to_us.html

First I must congratulate Senator Feingold for being one of the 23 senators that voted against the Iraq War Resolution of 2002. That being said, I have been quite dismayed at the Democratic response to the war mongering going on since then.

I'm not naive to believe that Democrats would totally unify against this war back then (and to some extent even now), but that's what saddens me. The Democrats are supposed to be an opposition party, and in many respects they've not lived up to that standard. Instead, what we get is Republican-Lite.

I hope Senator Feingold can muster up these ideas to the other Democratic Senators out there, some who to this day are still quite hawkish. Senators like Schumer, Biden, Lieberman, Bayh, and especially Clinton all need a dose of Feingold reality instead of this "We need MORE troops in Iraq!"-type talk. Flip-flop or not, Democrats need to face their demons and admit that not only were they lied to, but that this Iraq debacle was indeed a mistake and that we better get the hell out of the quicksand.

The timing for this has been made appropriate with Minority Leader Reid's incredible speech and deeds last week. Other senators like Feinstein are coming out and saying that the war was a mistake, and given a chance to vote it again she would never do it.

I thank you for the op/ed, Senator Feingold, and for you being one of the lone voices calling for a timetable. But you know, you need to rally your friends -- and rally them now. 2006 is just right around the corner, and the American people need a viable alternative, not Republican-Lite.

Thanks to Russ Feingold, Barbara Boxer and a few other Democratic senators I am not completely disgusted with the political party I've been a member of since John Kennedy's election. This piece by Feingold is like a fresh breeze blowing through the stench of lies, evasions, and patriotic grandstanding offered by both the Republicans and Democrats.