As I have been traveling, the one gleaming fact now in the national conscience is that there is no one who seriously debates the "justness" of this war. Instead those in favor of the war (and some against it) have been relegated to arguing that the war must continue for the "good of the Iraqi people." This argument while maybe amateur, to us and to the Iraqis, must be addressed. The tenets of IVAW are three-fold and by following these to their logical conclusion we can make the case for an immediate end to the occupation. Let us then explore.

1 - All troops home now!
This is more than a slogan, we mean all troops within the occupation no matter what country they are from or to which corporation they claim employment. This is an important distinction as the calls from within Iraq are clear not in time but in the absolute nature of the withdrawal. The Iraqis are calling for there to be no permanent bases, and no footprint left by an occupation whose boots have drastically weakened the foundation of civilization both in the global north and global south.
As for the timetable of "immediate" that IVAW petitions for, there is much material to argue our case. First off, there is the fact that Iraqis are not safer under US presence as they die at the rate of about 100 a day and recent studies indicate that 600,000 Iraqis have perished due to violence. Second is that Iraqis do not feel safe as indicated by polls showing that less than one percent of the population feels safe under US control. Third is that we have created a breeding ground for terrorism that has never existed in the world and which is being fueled by moving targets called US soldiers.
All of these things must end and time will do nothing to help, though a complete withdrawal from Iraq can.

2 - Take care of them when they get home!
We have on our hands a void in coverage when it comes to veterans' healthcare that simply does not exist when it comes to those corporations making billions off of our blood. We have created a new generation of veterans who see the cruelty of a government that has forsaken them. Perhaps we need a renewed bonus march? Perhaps we need a dewy cannon IV? Perhaps America needs to take the funding spent on the war machine and spend it on those it sends into battle for lies!

3 - Pay reparations to the Iraqi people!
This is perhaps the most important tenet when arguing for an immediate withdrawal. This is the answer to those who say that we have created a mess in Iraq and thus we must clean it up. This is the answer when it is stated that we can not leave the Iraqis up a creek after having taken their paddles away.
Though in order for this to be effective the US must do 2 other things and they are 1)to truly allow Iraq to self govern and 2)to see the insurgency as a legitimate fighting force defending their country. It is the latter which the US will have most difficulty with but it is also the most essential, but simultaneously we must see the insurgency as those who engage in conflict with the soldiers of the occupation and not those who kill innocent Iraqis, for they truly are terrorists whom I am sure Iraq will deal with should we ever give them the opportunity to embrace their true fighters, their real patriots.
Reparations paid not as a individual bounty to replace loved ones but as a debt that America has caused with this illegal and immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq are essential! They need to be paid not in handouts for wrong that we have done but instead we need to rebuild institutions of Iraqi power and not institutions of American greed. The money that Congress has to this point paid with the intent of rebuilding Iraq has instead gone to contractors with "cost plus contracts."
I propose that America pay a supplement to the Iraqi national budget of 50 billion dollars a year for the next 15 years followed by another 10 years of continuing humanitarian aid. This will give Iraq the time needed to mature as a self-determining democracy while costing the US people much less financially. It is true that the amount seems high but in reality it is not so. The US now spends 70 billion dollars a year on this war and add to that the billions we have spent in contracts to war profiteering corporations leaves a figure much high than reparations could ever cost.

If we change our arguments to fit today's debates on the war we will take the next step in bringing the troops home. It has been the work of IVAW, VFP, GSFP and MFSO that have shaped the national dialogue into one where it is no longer acceptable to say that the war is right and just. Now IVAW is in the perfect position to dictate the terms of the conversation nationally in favor of bringing the troops home. Americans are with us -- they just need a reason to say that it is "OK" to bring them home NOW. We have from our start advocated for the three tenets outlined above and thus we have been ahead of the national dialogue which is now catching up to us, and must be led by US!!