WHY THE PENTAGON SHOULD ANNOUNCE EXACTLY WHEN IRAQI "OCCUPATION" WILL END

Both the Baathists and the alQaida in Iraq are using the US military presence in Iraq as a powerful propaganda weapon against the USA and the Iraqi Interim government; it helps them recruit people to join them, and to give them aid and comfort.

The USA could demolish that propaganda tool very easily.

The Pentagon should announce exact when that US forces will withdraw.

The Bush Adminstration has clearly and correctly argued that setting a calendrical date would be counter-productive: the enemy could and would merely wait until we withdraw, and then mount a huge counter-offensive against the nascient Iraqi democracy.

Therefore, we should announce that the "WHEN" of our exit is NOT A MATTER OF TIME , but a matter of CONDITIONS; we will withdraw when 3 obvious conditions are met:

(1) When there is an elected government of Iraq; (2) when the Iraqi defenses can defend the borders and maintain law and order; and (3) when the elected government of Iraq ASKS us to leave.

These three conditions should be widely broadcast within Iraq and throughout the Arab/Muslim world. The USA and the Iraqi Interim government could then argue that any and all insurgent actions are actually PROLONGING the so-called "occupation."

This would cost the USA nothing and wouldn't diminish our military position one iota. It could make it more difficult for the insurgents to find cover - which in turn might help us find and defeat them. And it would put an onerous responsibility on Iraq's neighbors - Syria and Iran; it allows us to vigorously argue that: "if they REALLY want us out of the region, THEN they must tighten the border."

This PR effort would be a major victory in the Information Front of the War - a front that we have not been doing too well on lately.