Bill Richardson, Democratic candidate for the presidential nomination, has a plan for the immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

RAPID AND COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL WOULD BE SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE

A growing number of experts agree that a total withdrawal of forces can be done quickly and safely.

A total withdrawal:

• Will save lives: a slow draw down, as the United States did in Vietnam, will only ensure more U.S. and Iraqi casualties
• Is entirely possible, within a reasonable amount of time: the U.S. moved 240,000 troops through Kuwait in as little as three months.
• Has been done rapidly before: almost half a million troops were re-deployed in just a few months after the first Gulf War.
• Will not be as complex as some might believe: the United States can leave behind some light and non-sensitive equipment to speed withdrawal and assist Iraqi military forces.

 His plan promotes a new strategy to bring peace to Iraq.

PROMOTE IRAQI RECONCILIATION, WORK WITH ALL NEIGHBORS AND ALLIES, AND SEEK GLOBAL COOPERATION IN RECONSTRUCTION

Withdrawing all U.S. troops will allow us to implement a new strategy, composed of three key initiatives to be pursued simultaneously:

• National reconciliation. As we withdraw our forces, Iraqis will start to see us as brokers, rather than as occupiers. We should promote national reconciliation and compromise through a Dayton-style conference.

• Regional cooperation. None of Iraq's neighbors wants the instability in Iraq to lead to still greater refugee flows or a larger war. The Saudis see a sectarian civil war in Iraq as a threat to the entire region, and both Iran and Syria dread the prospect of a broader war. We need to bring all Iraq's neighbors together, into regional security talks to assure non-interference and secure borders, and to establish a U.N.-sanctioned Muslim peace-keeping force.

International financial support for reconstruction. The U.S. should promote a donor's conference to tap wealthy countries, including Muslim countries, to help rebuild Iraq.

 Richardson is the only Democratic candidate with international experience, but since when has experience ever mattered to the American people?