How much?/Then what?

ILLUSTRATED: What every American citizen should be asking every Presidential, Senatorial, and Congressional candidate they meet.

As the name suggests, most posts on this blog tell Democrats how to communicate. However this entry is for all American citizens regarding how they should be challenging federal candidates about Iraq. This article in the New York Times sums up the tremendous moral, financial, and policy decisions facing the government one year from now.

For politicians who claim “get out now”: ask then what? What moral obligation do we owe the Iraqi people, and what is the Middle East strategy if Iraq is chaotic? This interview transcript from Mother Jones (a pretty liberal magazine) simply won't do for Democratic politicians.

For politicians who claim “stick it out”: ask how much? How much American blood and treasure will be lost? Where will we get the funds and how will you rebuild the Army? GOP politicians like John McCain talk about the long term but have no real proposal to pay for it, given the fiscal and monetary situation.