1.
Iraq will never be an American colony.

We will not be able to control Iraq from America, but we can earn the respect of the Iraqi people by giving them the right to respectfully disagree with America.

2.
Iraq will not be a Christian nation.

Although this was a dream of many evangelical neo-conservatives, it's a case of religious delusion meeting gritty reality. Just because you think your religion is obviously the best, doesn't mean other people don't think the exact same thing about their own faith.

3.
Islam will be a part of the Iraqi government.

Thus we will have to accept a moderate Islamic government now, or a radical Islamic government later. If we keep waiting for a secular...

1.
Iraq will never be an American colony.

We will not be able to control Iraq from America, but we can earn the respect of the Iraqi people by giving them the right to respectfully disagree with America.

2.
Iraq will not be a Christian nation.

Although this was a dream of many evangelical neo-conservatives, it's a case of religious delusion meeting gritty reality. Just because you think your religion is obviously the best, doesn't mean other people don't think the exact same thing about their own faith.

3.
Islam will be a part of the Iraqi government.

Thus we will have to accept a moderate Islamic government now, or a radical Islamic government later. If we keep waiting for a secular western-friendly government, we will never leave, and only make more bitter enemies. If we start with a moderate Islamic government, reasonable reforms proposed by Iraqis may slowly actually achieve the system we have tried to brutally impose.

4.
Iranian and Iraqi Shi'i will be friends.

Iran and Iraq will always have an affinity, but Iran doesn't have to be our enemy. We have consistently rejected Iranian moderates and driven the Iranian government towards more and more radical leaders. Iran is actually our best hope for finding a local moderate for the situation in Iraq. If we ever stand down, we will need for Middle Eastern Shi'i to fill the void, and that pretty much means Iran.

5.
Iraq will not be a free-for-all for American corporations.

The Iraqi people aren't stupid. They know they've got oil. They would certainly rather make that money themselves rather than giving it all to Haliburton. No-Bid contracts for Bush's inner circle will need to be re-negotiated. If we want a role in Iraq for American companies, we need to make competitive offers. If we don't, Russia will.

6.
We will not have a military victory in Iraq, but we can still have a moral victory.

It's not too late to do the right thing, and earn the respect of the world in the process.