Should we stay or should we go? Let the Iraqis decide

Ellen Goodman has a great idea. Let the Iraqis have a referendum on whether the U.S. occupation should continue or end within a year, and abide by their decision.

The Current Occupant, the Bush-Hamilton report, Senator McCain and others keep telling us that the Iraqis need to take responsibility for their own destiny and that Iraq will free-fall into chaos if we're not there to help.

Let me get this straight. We invaded three years ago, destroying their water supply, power grid, schools, health care system and economy. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians are dead as a result. Now they need to take responsibility for themselves, but they'll fall apart without us?

That Man and his advisers need to understand that the great majority of Iraqis want us out within a year. Nearly half of them support attacks on American soldiers.
Whose interests are served by our continued presence? The invasion has done more harm than good. The longer we stay, the more damage we do. Saddam may be gone, but freedom has not arrived. If we and they are to get out of this hole we've made, the first thing we have to do is stop digging.

Let's make one last attempt to bring democracy to Iraq by asking the people what they want.