A plan is coming: Bipartisan commission has answers to consider

After months of arguing and talking heads giving their opinions on the best way to move forward in the war in Iraq, in less than a week, a bipartisan commission will be ready to unveil its answer.

No one is sure what the recommendations will be — and no one is talking. The big reveal is scheduled for next Wednesday. The only hints are that the new plan includes a gradual pullback of troops and direct diplomatic relations with Iran and Syria.

Let’s hope it also includes a little common sense.

The easiest decision in the world would be to pull out of Iraq and to not look back — and to start to cater, a bit, to a few of the nations that concern us. The world would stop calling us names, and we would lose no more soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. And there might even be fewer stories about suicide bombings and imperialist-America protests.

But what there won’t be is peace.

There is no reason to think that this new plan will contain a recommendation to cut and run — no one seems to think that is the answer in Iraq. So, the unveiling Wednesday might be a good first step in determining where we are before we decide where we should be going next.

But what we have to do is think and act carefully. Like it or not, there is a world watching what this nation does and how its leaders respond to the recent election results and to the level of violence in Iraq.

Let’s hope our leaders are strong enough to make the best decision, not the easiest — and that we are strong enough to stick by what is best for our long-term future, not just tomorrow.

Published in Editorials on November 30, 2006 10:34 AM