What is Your Exit Strategy?
A close friend of mine has an 18-month-old exit strategy. Whenever he or his wife wants to leave a party or a meeting, they use their daughter as an excuse:
“We’ve really got to be going.”
“But you just got here!”
“Yeah, look we’re really sorry, but Rebecca is at home with the sitter, and she usually gets cranky about this time.”
“But the appetizer hasn’t even come out yet.”
“We’re sorry maybe next time?
And like that, they’re gone, off into the night, like Keyser Soze, the Tooth Fairy, or Vanilla Ice.
My exit strategy isn’t as refined or rehearsed. When I want to leave, I go. And if I’m with Lynnette, I look at her and say either “I’m bored,” or “This sucks,” and we grab our things and go. I know she’s ready when she has the tired face: a curious mixture of drooping, half-closed eyelids, slow reaction time, and emotionless facial expressions.
In college, a buddy and I had a way to let the other know we wanted out of a conversation with someone. If at a party and trapped speaking to someone droning on about Star Trek or the Battle of Gettysburg, we would tug on our earlobe. Like third base coaches, begging the batter to bunt one down the line, the signal went out, and hopefully one of us would be rescued by the other with an excuse of “Your car’s on fire,” or “It’s time for judo practice.”
Undoubtedly, for the US to up and leave Iraq is much less simple than playing the daughter card or putting on the tired face. Now making headlines everyday, the American public and the American Congress is growing impatient with the number of casualties, the price tag of the war, and the lack of ingenuity from the executive branch. People want to get the troops out and home, but I’ve yet to see a viable plan to do so – one that secures the safety of American troops, the safety of Iraqi citizens, and a secure, long-term foundation for Iraqi government. In other words, everyone’s tugging on their ears, but no one’s free to come say, “It’s time to go feed our llama.”
Finger pointing always gets in the way of progress. You can have your opinions, but until you help contribute to the solution, you’re no better than those contributing to the problem. Yes, everything in Iraq is a huge mess, and the discussion about whether or not the US should have invaded is fun, but unproductive.
As Wesley Clark said in the newest Rolling Stone magazine, “Withdrawal is not just about the military.” The US has so much vested in this conflict, that simply loading the men and women in the armed forces onto aircraft carriers bound for the states does not complete the getaway. There are still clues left on the scene in terms of contractors, money, security, and influence. A successful exit strategy will be one that gets the US out of Iraq while assuring that Iraqis are able to protect and defend themselves and their new government. It’s no good to leave the party if you have to go back for your hat and gloves.
And the exit strategy doesn’t solely have to come from President Bush. Those on both sides of the aisle who will whine today and eat turkey tomorrow need to get serious about making it possible for soldiers to eat turkey with their families. Don’t worry about who started what – finish it. Here’s one idea: have those who want to moan about the president fund an exit strategy contest. Solicit submissions from any American citizen. The winner gets $50,000, a trip to the White House, and American troops home to feed their llamas and go to judo class.
I plan on this being my one and only post about the US leaving Iraq. We’ll see if that happens. I guess you never know how well an exit strategy will work until you get up and actually try to leave.
“We’ve really got to be going.”
“But you just got here!”
“Yeah, look we’re really sorry, but Rebecca is at home with the sitter, and she usually gets cranky about this time.”
“But the appetizer hasn’t even come out yet.”
“We’re sorry maybe next time?
And like that, they’re gone, off into the night, like Keyser Soze, the Tooth Fairy, or Vanilla Ice.
My exit strategy isn’t as refined or rehearsed. When I want to leave, I go. And if I’m with Lynnette, I look at her and say either “I’m bored,” or “This sucks,” and we grab our things and go. I know she’s ready when she has the tired face: a curious mixture of drooping, half-closed eyelids, slow reaction time, and emotionless facial expressions.
In college, a buddy and I had a way to let the other know we wanted out of a conversation with someone. If at a party and trapped speaking to someone droning on about Star Trek or the Battle of Gettysburg, we would tug on our earlobe. Like third base coaches, begging the batter to bunt one down the line, the signal went out, and hopefully one of us would be rescued by the other with an excuse of “Your car’s on fire,” or “It’s time for judo practice.”
Undoubtedly, for the US to up and leave Iraq is much less simple than playing the daughter card or putting on the tired face. Now making headlines everyday, the American public and the American Congress is growing impatient with the number of casualties, the price tag of the war, and the lack of ingenuity from the executive branch. People want to get the troops out and home, but I’ve yet to see a viable plan to do so – one that secures the safety of American troops, the safety of Iraqi citizens, and a secure, long-term foundation for Iraqi government. In other words, everyone’s tugging on their ears, but no one’s free to come say, “It’s time to go feed our llama.”
Finger pointing always gets in the way of progress. You can have your opinions, but until you help contribute to the solution, you’re no better than those contributing to the problem. Yes, everything in Iraq is a huge mess, and the discussion about whether or not the US should have invaded is fun, but unproductive.
As Wesley Clark said in the newest Rolling Stone magazine, “Withdrawal is not just about the military.” The US has so much vested in this conflict, that simply loading the men and women in the armed forces onto aircraft carriers bound for the states does not complete the getaway. There are still clues left on the scene in terms of contractors, money, security, and influence. A successful exit strategy will be one that gets the US out of Iraq while assuring that Iraqis are able to protect and defend themselves and their new government. It’s no good to leave the party if you have to go back for your hat and gloves.
And the exit strategy doesn’t solely have to come from President Bush. Those on both sides of the aisle who will whine today and eat turkey tomorrow need to get serious about making it possible for soldiers to eat turkey with their families. Don’t worry about who started what – finish it. Here’s one idea: have those who want to moan about the president fund an exit strategy contest. Solicit submissions from any American citizen. The winner gets $50,000, a trip to the White House, and American troops home to feed their llamas and go to judo class.
I plan on this being my one and only post about the US leaving Iraq. We’ll see if that happens. I guess you never know how well an exit strategy will work until you get up and actually try to leave.
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