General Paul Eaton ”The fact that the President, Vice President and the Secretary of Defense, refused to plan for a proper reconstruction phase, the phase 4 of Iraq, set the stage for the dilemma we’re in right now.  What is absent still, is a diplomatic surge, economic surge bringing to bear the full power of the United States.  When chaos hit, there was no plan to reassure the positive reconstruction of Iraq.”

Powerful, smart words to an extrodinarily under-discussed issue in print and televised media. 

From Goldy at HA. 

Back in August, Democratic challenger Darcy Burnerconcluded her unprecedented $123,000 netroots fundraiser with an innovative, Internet town hall meeting on Iraq. Hundreds of concerned citizens from around the nation tuned in to the live stream that afternoon, to hear Burner announce her intention to work with military experts to develop a coherent plan for both pulling out of Iraq, and reconstructing that shattered nation in the absence of our armed forces. On Monday, March 17, Burner will present the fruits of her labor to the Take Back America conference in Washington D.C., along with an impressive group of military experts and fellow challengers.

Joining Burner at the unveiling of the Iraq strategy document will be Chellie Pingree (ME-1), Donna Edwards (MD-4), Jared Polis (CO-2), and Tom Perriello (VA-5). Eric Massa (NY-29), Larry Byrnes (FL-14) and George Fearing (WA-4) have also signed on to the plan, with many more to challengers come. It is an impressive and ambitious plan that calls for the sort of diplomatic and economic surge that the Bush administration has ignored for all too long. It is anything but “cut and run.”

I’m looking forward to Reichert and Hastings’ responses next Monday.