This month's column veers slightly from the main theme but I think you will see plenty of subtle hypocrisy throughout the article.

John McCain, much to his chagrin, has been dubbed "John 100 years McCain" because of his recent comment at a rally that he would not mind if our troops stayed in Iraq for 100 years. He later said that he was misquoted or that the comment was taken out of context and what he said in addition to the 100 years comment was, he would not mind staying indefinitely if our troops were not shot at. Which is, in my opinion, rather stupid because the reason our troops are being shot at is because we ARE THERE, and most people in Iraq, including leading Middle East experts, feel that as long as we are there we will be attacked as occupiers. Therefore, according to McCain's logic, we must remain until the shooting stops. Who knows when that will be! General Petraeus and Admiral Crocker could not even come close to predicting that date in their recent testimony to Congress.

I would like to take McCain's comment and change it a bit: how about we make an agreement that IF the shooting at our troops stops we WILL LEAVE! Which leads me to what I believe could be an end to this mess Bush and his cronies have gotten us into.

The first hypothesis that we must consider: The reasons for invading Iraq have been realized. No weapons of mass destruction found, Saddam is gone, elections have taken place and a democracy has been put in place. Those have consistently been used as the reasons for the invasion--- so, mission accomplished--- and any further stay must be considered an occupation that is illegal and immoral.

Now, how to clean up the mess we have made and leave with at least a modicum of dignity. Many will think this naïve, simplistic and maybe even childish, but never underestimate the wisdom of a child.

First, we call all the Iraqi factions together, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Kurdish president Massoud Barzani, cleric Moktada al-Sadr and close neighbors Syria, Iran and Jordan. We then make an agreement that if the violence not only against American troops but against all Iraqis stops we will leave completely, period! We insist that they, on their own figure out a way to share the oil wealth, water and other resources without violence. We will also take an equivalent amount of money that is now spent killing people for a period of 2.5 years (half the time we have occupied Iraq) and give it to the Iraqi people as reparations to rebuild what we have destroyed. We will also give over the bulk of the largest US Embassy in the world to the Iraqi government and maintain a reasonable space, in line with other embassies around the world. We will not remove US construction companies but they will have to bid against companies from Iraq and other nations on a fair basis. We will not have permanent military bases in Iraq.

Just think what this would accomplish: men and women in Iraq who now are desperate and without hope for a normal future and employment will have no reason to blow themselves up to kill the insurgents. Recruitment by Al Qaeda will be severely affected because they will no longer have us as the infidel occupiers to use as their chief recruitment tool. Our standing in the world will be restored and we will be seen, as we once were, as a great and giving nation, not the imperialistic resource grabbing nation that we have become in the last seven years.

It would have to be made absolutely clear that if the violence does not stop immediately the deal is off and we will return to the desperate state that now exists.

I welcome all comments and look forward to lively discussions from Eccentric readers.