If Nelson Mandela could sit down at a table of peace and negotiate with his former sworn enemies, the same people who murdered his friends and kept him into prison for most of his adult life, our country certainly should be able to do the same in Iraq.
Unfortunately, the record of the Bush Administration does not point to any capacity or will to do what our greatness demands of us.
Here is what we must do.
We must immediately declare a cease-fire and begin negotiations with the various factions now fighting us in Iraq.
We must show our good faith by bringing our troops home now. It is time for them to come home to their families.
We must call now for an international peace summit that will seek to develop a global strategy for peace, starting in Iraq.
As a second term Hawaii State Senator running for election to the Congress for the 2nd CD, I am compelled to speak out, on the issue.
Our choices as a nation should not be frozen between "stay the course" and "cut and run". We need a strategy for peace and it must start with the U.S. being big and bold enough to declare a cease-fire, seek negotiations and ask the international community for help and leadership.
As is obvious, the present Bush Administration and current Republican majority does not possess the moral leadership to be big and bold. They have too many self-serving reasons to stay the course.
This is why I want to lend my voice and my energies to likeminded colleagues who are committed to radically changing the course of our country.
As a second term Hawaii State Senator, seeking to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2nd Congressional District, it is my hope and goal that I may be a part of the effort to put forth a strategy for peace.
There is no question that the decision to invade Iraq has left the US weaker, not stronger. Our armies are stretched thin and our country is divided.
The only beneficiaries of this madness are the international terror networks. They grow stronger with each day of U.S. occupation--and the coffers of the Halliburton's and defense contractors of the world keep filling up and overflowing with every bomb that is dropped and each bullet that is shot.
After all, we pay them handsomely once to manufacture the armaments of war, and then we pay them premium rates again to rebuild after the destruction that those same armaments inflict on the infrastructure and people of Iraq.
The US Senate dubbed 2006, the "Year of Transition" for Iraq. We are now through the greater part of the "Year of Transition" and we have yet to see greater stability in Iraq.
This year has seen a sharp rise, not decline in insurgent attacks, violence, and death. This year has seen more US troops get sent back to Iraq, not less. This year has seen the new Iraqi government weaken. It has seen Iraq slip deeper into chaos, into what many are identifying as a civil war. This year has seen Iraqi civilians die at an average rate of 100 per day (UN and Iraqi Health Ministry numbers). The New York Times reported that in the month of July, 3,438 Iraqi civilians were killed.
This is unacceptable. We are in need of real transition, a real strategy for peace, not the Republican catch phrases that are trotted out intermittently, tricked out to pass for public policy.
It is well past the time for America to show that we can be leaders, that we can work with the international community and that we are willing to ask for help. The President and his administration must demonstrate a greater willingness to talk with foreign leaders and they must be willing to listen and form partnerships to build a multinational strategy for peace in Iraq.
Where to start? It is clearly painful to admit that our current predicament in Iraq has been brought about by our own follies and our hubris. However, not admitting our failures is bound to prove even more painful for America and Iraq in the long run.
This is the test that confronts us. Are we big enough to show that the strength of an open society, of a democracy lies in its ability to recognize and correct its mistakes?
We need leadership in Washington D.C. that is willing to face this test.
I took a public, formal and written position against the war in Iraq, before the war started. In early 2003, a handful of my State Senate colleagues and myself introduced a State Senate Resolution opposing unilateral, pre-emptive strikes against Iraq.
Whether a candidate was in public office at the time or not, the opportunity and mechanisms to go on the public record opposing the war were plentiful. All of the candidates will have excuses no doubt, but the bottom line is that though all are now ready to profess opposition to the war in Iraq, few came forward to aggressively oppose the war when vocal and public opposition was most needed.
If more Americans, more Democrats and more public officials would have done so at the time, perhaps the world would not be in the disarray that it is in today.
For greater insight into my views on the war and other public policy matters you might be interested in reading my diary entry A candidates view of Bush and America's fondness for firmness
For very complete information on a wide variety of topics pertaining to my background, views and the current campaign please visit http://www.garyhooser.com
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am a second-term State Senator (Kaua'i-Ni'ihau) from Hawaii who is running for the seat vacated by Congressman Ed Case. Case is running against incumbent Senator Daniel Akaka. For additional information about the values, positions and policies that are especially important to myself and the residents of Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District visit http://www.garyhooser.com
I welcome input, comments and help from all who share my concern and commitment to reversing the direction our country is now headed.