Kucinich Steps Up With Progressive Plan for Iraq

Earlier this morning, I wrote an article criticizing Dennis Kucinich for his failure to co-sponsor H.R. 1415, the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007. The legislation would repeal most of the worst aspects of the infamous Military Commissions Act.

To be fair to Representative Kucinich, let me praise his development of a 12 point plan to end the war in Iraq. Kucinich has made this plan the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, but is not content to merely talk about the plan as something theoretical that he would support once elected President. Kucinich is also using his position as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives to formally propose the passage of his plan for Iraq into law by Congress.

The Kucinich plan for peace, H.R. 1234, is a strong piece of legislation that would end the American presence in Iraq within 3 months, offer reparations to the Iraqi people in compensation for the massive destruction caused by our invasion and occupation, and work against the corrupt schemes to privatize Iraqi government oil assets. The plan would provide genuine support for American troops by redirecting money away from combat and occupation, toward redeployment outside the Middle East.

While the Kucinich plan is not as politically convenient as the 18 month withdrawal plan, scheduled to take the U.S. out of Iraq just before the 2008 presidential election, it offers a more honest assessment of the problems with the current Iraq policy and a more humanely direct solution. After all, if the war in and occupation of Iraq isn’t working now, there’s no reason to think that prolonging American presence in Iraq over a year-and-a-half slow withdrawal will help to make things better for us or for the Iraqis.

The legislation written by Dennis Kucinich is, unlike too many pieces of congressional legislation, brief and easy to understand. It reads as follows:

“H. R. 1234

To end the United States occupation of Iraq immediately.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 28, 2007

Mr. KUCINICH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To end the United States occupation of Iraq immediately.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) The insurgency in Iraq has been fueled by the United States occupation and the prospect of a long-term presence as indicated by the building of permanent United States military bases.
(2) A United States declaration of an intention to withdraw United States troops and close military bases will help dampen the insurgency which has been inspired to resist colonization and fight aggressors and those who have supported United States policy.
(3) A United States declaration of an intention to withdraw United States troops and close military bases will provide an opening in which parties within Iraq and in the region can set the stage for negotiations toward a peaceful settlement in Iraq.
(4) The cost of withdrawing United States troops from Iraq could be as low as $10 billion according to the Congressional Budget Office.
(5) A United States shift in policy away from unilateralism and toward cooperation will provide new opportunities for exploring common concerns about the situation in Iraq.
(6) The United Nations is best equipped to build a political consensus in Iraq through the crafting of a political agreement.
(7) The end of the occupation of Iraq creates a political environment that enables the world community to assist the United States in an orderly transition.
(8) The United Nations is the only international organization with the ability to mobilize and the legitimacy to authorize peacekeeping troops.
(9) The United Nations can implement the basis of an agreement that will end the occupation of Iraq and begin the transition to international peacekeepers.
(10) The United Nations can field an international security and peacekeeping mission, but such a mission cannot take shape unless there is a peace to keep, and that will be dependent upon a political process which reaches agreement between all the Iraqi parties.
(11) Reconstruction activities must be reorganized and closely monitored in Iraq by the Iraqi Government, with the assistance of the international community.
(12) Any attempt to sell Iraqi oil assets during the United States occupation will be a significant stumbling block to peaceful resolution.
(13) There must be fairness in the distribution of oil resources in Iraq.
(14) A reconciliation process that brings people together is the only way to overcome their fears and reconcile their differences.
(15) It is essential to create a minimum of understanding and mutual confidence between the Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds.
(16) The process of reconciliation must begin with a national conference, organized with the assistance of the United Nations and with the participation of parties that can create, participate in, and affect the process of reconciliation, defined as an airing of all grievances and the creation of pathways toward open, transparent talks producing truth and resolution of grievances.
(17) The only sure path toward reconciliation is through the political process.
(18) All factions and all insurgents not associated with al-Qaeda must be brought together in a relentless process which involves Saudis, Turks, Syrians, and Iranians.
(19) Achieving peace requires a process of international truth and reconciliation between the people of the United States and the people of Iraq.
(20) A reparations program to assist Iraqis is essential to enable reconciliation.
SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

It is the policy of the United States that–
(1) the United States should end the occupation of Iraq immediately, simultaneously with the introduction of a United Nations-led international peacekeeping force pursuant to an agreement with nations within the region and which incorporates the terms and conditions specified in section 1;
(2) the Department of Defense should use readily available existing funds to bring all United States troops and necessary equipment home while a political settlement is being negotiated and preparations are made for a transition to an international security and peacekeeping force;
(3) the Department of Defense should order a simultaneous return of all United States contractors and subcontractors and turn over all contracting work to the Iraqi Government;
(4) the United Nations should be encouraged to prepare an international security and peacekeeping force to be deployed to Iraq, replacing United States troops who then return home;
(5) the United States should provide funding for a United Nations peacekeeping mission, in which 50 percent of the peacekeeping troops should come from nations with large Muslim populations;
(6) the international security force, under United Nations direction, should remain in place until the Iraqi Government is capable of handling its own security;
(7) the Iraqi Government, with assistance from the United Nations, should immediately restart the failed reconstruction program in Iraq and rebuild roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and other public facilities, houses, and factories with jobs and job training going to local Iraqis;
(8) the Iraqi Government, in an act of political sovereignty, should set aside initiatives to privatize Iraqi oil interests or other national assets and abandon all efforts, whether at the behest of the United States or otherwise, to change Iraqi national law to facilitate privatization;
(9) the Iraq Government, in an act of political sovereignty, should set forth a plan to stabilize Iraq’s cost for food and energy, on par to what the prices were before the United States invasion and occupation;
(10) the Iraqi Government, in an act of political sovereignty, should strive for economic sovereignty for Iraq by working with the world community to restore Iraq’s fiscal integrity without structural readjustment measures of the International Monetary Funds or the World Bank;
(11) the United States should initiate a reparations program for the loss of Iraqi lives, physical and emotional injuries, and damage to property, which should include an effort to rescue the tens of thousands of Iraqi orphans from lives of destitution; and
(12) the United States should refrain from any covert operations in Iraq and any attempts to destabilize the Iraqi Government.
SEC. 3. DISENGAGEMENT OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM IRAQ.

(a) Withdrawal of Armed Forces- Not later than the end of the 3-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, all United States Armed Forces serving in Iraq shall be completely withdrawn from Iraq and returned to the United States or redeployed outside of the Middle East.
(b) Prohibition on Use of Funds To Continue Deployment of Armed Forces in Iraq-
(1) PROHIBITION- Funds appropriated or otherwise made available under any provision of law may not be obligated or expended to deploy or continue to deploy members or units of the United States Armed Forces to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(2) EXCEPTIONS- Paragraph (1) does not apply to the use of funds–
(A) to provide for the safe and orderly withdrawal of the Armed Forces from Iraq pursuant to subsection (a);
(B) to ensure the security of Iraq by carrying out consultations with the Government of Iraq, other foreign governments, the United Nations, and other international organizations; or
(C) to ensure the security of Iraq by funding the United Nations-led peacekeeping mission.
(c) Armed Forces Defined- In this section, the term `Armed Forces’ has the meaning given the term in section 101(a)(4) of title 10, United States Code.”

Although it has been a month and a half since Congressman Kucinich introduced his 12 point plan for Iraq to the floor of the House of Representatives, only two other members of the House, Representatives Lacy Clay and Bob Filner, have given the plan their co-sponsorship. With the veto of the long and drawn out 18-month withdrawal plan soon to come, that could soon change. Just as Senators Russ Feingold and Harry Reid are preparing a tougher Iraq resolution in response to President Bush’s coming veto, the House of Representatives ought now to take a second look at H.R. 1234.