"President Bush -- you have said, 'It is vital for the Iraqi people to know with certainty that America will not abandon them after we have come this far.'The point, of course, is to find out whether post-president Bush plans to just cash in on the lecture circuit or whether he's as committed to Iraqi freedom as he always claims. It's easy (and common) for presidents to walk away from their policies, dust their hands and say, "Well, I did everything I could."
When you leave office on Jan. 20, 2009, what do you plan to do personally to continue the changes in Iraq?"
But Bush and Iraq are different. As he reminds us in speech after speech, bringing freedom to Iraq isn't a policy -- it's a calling from God. He also tells us it's necessary if America expects to be safe from terrorist attack ever again.
And to be fair to the president, here are some positions/initiatives that he might offer as proof of his continuing commitment to the country he invaded:
- Become U.S. ambassador to Iraq (my recommendation)
- Become consultant to the Iraqi public schools system
- Fund and oversee an Iraq-based institute that promotes democracy and a free press
- Fund and oversee a U.S.-based institute that gives future Iraqi leaders hands-on experience in a working democracy
- Start a micro-loan nonprofit using his own money to help struggling Iraqi companies
- Start a company that provides affordable infrastructure rebuilding services to the Iraqi government
