- "This fight is too important to lose. Remember Afghanistan under the Taliban? What if the Taliban had oil resources sufficient to buy/build nuclear weapons. We just need a litttle imagination, so let's try this: Imagine 9/11 raised to the kiloton level. Imagine Iraq under the control of al-Sistani and his pals. Imagine the mad mullahs in Iran cotrolling the oil wealth of southern Iraq."
- "The rule of law cannot thrive in an environment of fear, where police, judges, and government officials fear for their lives and the lives of their family. The brokers of intolerance and hate in that country and elsewhere know this, and have spilled the blood of hundreds of Iraqis to prevent the establishment of a peaceful society where the rights of all Iraqis are protected. Still, thousands in Iraq today are risking their lives to establish a pluralistic society, a society that promises protection of minority rights and freedom from oppression for all Iraqis. These thousands of brave Iraqis are well known to the despots seeking to inflict their particular brand of authoritarian rule over all of Iraq. To walk away from Iraq is to betray the trust of these Iraqis, to doom them, and to forfeit Iraq to the forces of hate and intolerance.
- "The United States cannot build Iraq, and the Iraq's have never asked us to. We can, however, provide greater support to the efforts of Iraqis seeking to help their nation achieve its promise. This will require a committment of resources different than we have provided to date.
(then, go on to describe the simple plan to
- build a non-corrupt, non-sectarian police force and military of sufficient size to suppress the militias
- Ramp up oil production
- equitably share the benefits of oil resources to benefit all Iraqis
- encourage development of an Iraqi civil society
- foster the development of a market economy
- Assure Iraqis have an allegiance to their nation and to the fundamental protection of the rights of their neighbors, regardless of creed, that exceeds their allegiance to their own clan or religious sect)
It is the portion in green that the Prez and his staff will need to flesh out a little . . . .