CHAOS

1. a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.

That's the dictionary definition and it is a fitting description of what is happening in Iraq now. Chaos is what is supposed to happen if the "cut and run" Democrats set a timeline for withdrawal. Thomas Friedman, Pulitzer Prize winning author and Middle East expert said in a recent column that President Bush has essentially handed the mess over to the next administration --that there is no Commander-In-Chief in office now. Friedman states that it is up to the Democrats to articulate how to end this war for the sake of national security. Quoting Rep. Ike Skelton, Head of the House Armed Services Committee, Friedman stated that it is impossible for the United States to keep so many troops in Iraq and still be flexible to handle other security contingencies. To get elected, the Democrats will have to take control of the issue of national security and convince the public that a real commander-in-chief will be in the White House. His plan:

1. "A detailed blueprint with a fixed withdrawal date tied to a negotiation with Iraqi factions on a federal solution tied to a military redeployment plan to contain the inevitable spillover from Iraq.
2. A commitment by the next president to impose a stiff tariff on all imported crude oil, to make sure we become less dependent on what is sure to be a more unstable Middle East as we leave Iraq.
3. A plan to deal with the broader terrorist challenge."

He adds : "Set a date. Set a price. That will get people’s attention."

For further evidence of the state of chaos in Iraq, please visit the links below:

Sunni insurgents targeting government and police:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/world/middleeast/26iraq.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Cholera spreading WHO reports 2100 cases and 30,000 potential cases
http://uk.reuters.com/article/middleeastCrisis/idUKL2580746820070925

Blackwater -(Private soldiers for hire unaccountable to the American public)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20892483/site/newsweek/

Corrupt Iraqi police:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article2401262.ece

There is a Civil War now:
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070301faessay86201-p0/james-d-fearon/iraq-s-civil-war.html

"War is a cowardly escape from the problems of peace"

Thomas Mann

The way I see it, the wrong asses are getting kicked in Iraq.

According to Congressman McDermott (D-WA), there are 71,000 documented Iraqi civilian casualties. It will take a lawsuit by the ACLU to acquire our military documents on innocent civilians killed and this figure is likely to be much higher. The Iraqi police are corrupt. There are 27,786 wounded US military personnel. Add to that the humanitarian crisis due to a lack of clean water, and the fact that women are tremendous losers in the democratization of Iraq now that Tribal Sharia law trumps the Iraqi constitution. The spin the administration will put on this situation should be enough to make an activist out of anyone. John Edwards has the right message – “No timeline, no funding, no excuses.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/07/dem-congressman-heres-_n_63541.html
http://www.aclu.org/natsec/foia/search.html
http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00006081/01/6081.pdf
http://www.equalityiniraq.com/english/2007/OWFI-4YOccupation290307.htm