At this point in time, it seems apparent that the U.S. will have a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress, perhaps even a super-majority Congress able to over-ride Republican filibusters and general obstructionism. Thinking ahead, I am wondering how real change can be achieved. Obama has said, or hopefully, had to say, a lot of nonsense to get himself elected and now we have to hope that some of that garbage he wasn't too serious about. America's domestic needs are pressing and need immediate attention. The foreign situation is a slow steady bleed of treasure and national effort and needs to be rationalized immediately. Here are what I see as the immediate needs of America in its foreign policy and the grass roots have to be organized now to support them, on the assumptions that either Obama will enthusiastically attempt to move these objectives forward or that he will resist them, i.e., working either with or against Obama in pursuit of these goals:
1. Immediate termination of the Iraq War. This means a phased withdrawal of all forces to be completed in not more than three months. Plans for a three-month total withdrawal with all weapons and war materiel to be completed and submitted in three weeks, finalized in one week, execution to commence immediately upon finalization of the plan. This plan is to proceed regardless of American and/or Iraqi casualties, which the plan is expected to minimize if possible but not necessarily to eliminate. There will be no option other than total withdrawal at the end of the three months.
2. Ditto for the Afghan War.
3. Cessation of all foreign aid programs indefinitely, including military, economic, "war on drugs" aid. All foreign aid personnel to be out of all client countries within one month of inauguration and all in-country supplies and equipment consisting of food or medical supplies to be distributed in-country, and if military or police in nature to be removed back to the U.S. or destroyed beyond any possibility of repair in place. New criteria for foreign aid entitlement to be drawn up, such that no country in armed conflict with external or internal enemies, no country in defiance or non-compliance of U.N. Security Council resolutions and no country found to be in substantial violation of Human Rights as defined in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be entitled to receive any foreign aid of any kind whatsoever, and all others must apply anew for US foreign aid in accordance with a special foreign aid protocol to be established by the incoming Obama administration according to fixed and transparent principles.
