Eric Massa's recent press conference was lost in the hubbub over the MoveOn ads, but it's worth a look, as is his National Security page. Massa's plan has two major components: withdrawal in 24 months or sooner, and a tripartite partition.
On withdrawal, Massa believes that even a withdrawal started immediately would take 6-18 months, and he would defer to commanders on the ground as to the best way to redeploy forces in a way that's "well thought out and designed to maximize the potential for stability as quickly as possible."
The tripartite division is a strategy borrowed from Massa's experience in Bosnia. He thinks that the first step to peace in Iraq is separating the warring parties. After that, a "loose federation of semi-autonomous states" should be created, one for each of the three distinct ethnic/religious groups living in the country.
Massa's tripartite strategy seems reasonable. The Kurds have already effectively established their own semi-autonomous region in the North of Iraq. The predominately Shi'ite population of the South seems like another logical candidate for regional government. The question is how we get there from where we are now. Do US troops enforce the partition as they withdraw? And how does setting a 24-month deadline fit in with partitioning?
Massa has provided a thoughtful strategy born from his experience in another war-torn country. We'll see if that strategy becomes part of an intelligent debate over Iraq, or if the 29th is treated to 10 weeks of name calling. I hope for the former, but fear that the latter is far more likely.
Comments
One thing that to me gives Massa credibility with his suggested solutions is that he worked for Wes Clark, who was closely involved with the Yugoslavina three state solution. This is part of what makes Massa such an interesting candidate in my opinion.