Democrats must lead America out of Iraq

The U.S. withdrawal from Iraq will begin in 2006. It is inevitable.

Reaching out to the Sunni Arab community, Iraqi leaders called for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces and said Iraq's opposition had a "legitimate right" of resistance.

The communique _ finalized by Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni leaders Monday _ condemned terrorism but was a clear acknowledgment of the Sunni position that insurgents should not be labeled as terrorists if their operations do not target innocent civilians or institutions designed to provide for the welfare of Iraqi citizens.

The leaders agreed on "calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops according to a timetable, through putting in place an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces ... control the borders and the security situation" and end terror attacks.

The Iraqi government wants us out. They have articulated the idea that violence against American troops is legitimate. We are not welcome in Iraq. It is time to come home.

Democrats can and should step out in front of the Republicans on this issue. They must summon the will to lead America out of Iraq.

Despite his tough talk, President Bush and his supplicants in congress know that the U.S. posture in Iraq is unsustainable. They know we cannot stay there indefinitely. They are just waiting for an opportune moment to begin the withdrawal. It would be suicidal for Democrats to underestimate the Republicans' ability to frame the inevitable pullout as a victory for Bush and the GOP.

The moment will come in the spring of 2006. Bush will announce the withdrawal plan on Memorial Day. The first troops will come home just in time for the 4th of July. There will be victory parades. Bush will show his face at as many of these events as the laws of space and time allow. There will be ceaseless photo- and video-ops of GOP lawmakers with Guard and Reserve units from the American heartland. The Summer of Homecoming will roll right into the fall campaign season.

Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" plays as the video montage begins. Fields of grain wave in a gentle breeze on a sunlit morning. Small-town shopkeepers open up for business on main street. A man mows his lawn. A dog barks.

A Greyhound bus pulls to a stop in front of a white house with a wrap-around porch and an enormous American flag over the front steps. A young man in uniform steps off the bus and stands there, looking at the house. He takes a deep breath. He smiles.

A buxom, yet wholesome, young woman bounds down the front steps and down the walkway. Right behind her, a five year old smiles and laughs as he tries to keep up. The woman throws her arms around the neck of her returning hero. She weeps tears of joy against his broad chest. He pulls her close and buries his face in her hair. Music swells. The boy hugs daddy's legs, a teddy bear in one hand and an American flag in the other.

This American family reunion was brought to you by your Republican Party and President George W. Bush. God bless the USA. Welcome home.

Meanwhile, Democrats who wanted to look tough and resolute by insisting we "stay the course" in Iraq will be left with literally nothing to say.

If the Democratic Party wants to avoid permanent irrelevance, the time to speak, the time to lead, is now. Otherwise, the party will have no moral authority or political viability in 2006, 2008 or beyond. If Democrats do not lead America out of Iraq, Americans will leave them behind.

The Iraqi elections take place on Thursday, December 15th. On Monday, December 19th, Democrats in congress should announce a detailed plan for the phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The draw-down should begin on January 2nd, 2006 with completion scheduled for the end of the year. The plan should be introduced in congress as The American Homecoming Resolution. It should bear the name of any and every Democratic lawmaker who wants to run for president in 2008 as well as those who hope to be re-elected in November of '06. The introduction of the resolution should coincide with a full-page ad in the Sunday New York Times asking the American people to support it by urging their representatives to vote "yes."

The Democratic leadership of the house and senate as well as the DNC must be ruthless in unifying the party behind the The American Homecoming Resolution. They should approach the task as though the survival of the party is at stake. It will be.

George W. Bush and the Republicans in congress will say the plan is premature. They will say it demonstrates weakness and a lack of American resolve.

Democrats must make it clear that, the elections having taken place, there is nothing more that American troops can do for the Iraqi people. George W. Bush turned Iraq into a haven for terrorists where none existed before, the Democrats should say. Bush destroyed the country and there is nothing that any American man or woman can do to fix it. We guided and protected the Iraqis until they established their own government. Now, they must take control of their own destiny. They have, in fact, asked us to leave. It is time to come home.

If Bush does not acquiesce, which of course he cannot, Democrats must ask how many more American lives he is wiling to sacrifice. How much more American blood will solve the problem in Iraq, Mr. President? Who will be the last man or woman to die for your mistake?

But, if Democrats make their case well enough to the American people, the Republicans will vote silently and sullenly in favor of the resolution. Bush will go along, knowing that to resist will give the new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives no choice but to impeach him.

Our men and women in uniform will come home. Our long, national nightmare will be over.