Am I the only one that noticed former governor of Wisconsin Tommy Thompson made his official announcement to enter the 2008 Presidential campaign on April Fools' Day? Be that as it may, Tommy has three ideas to win the war in Iraq. The first is to have the Iraqis via their parliament vote on if they want us to stay. The third idea involves oil revenue sharing.

   It is the second idea I find the most engaging. Now understand I appreciate Tommy's benevolence in trying to fix his former bosse's war. To my knowledge Tommy has never set foot in Iraq. I await a reply from his campaign folks as we speak to validate that assumption. By the way, I need a better job that is not downsized, underemployed, or benefitless - got any paid campaign jobs Tommy?  If he has not been to Iraq this is interesting because he is a man of a few more resources than the rest of us (maybe even classified as a rich guy). Now I got myself to Iraq and surrounding region for six weeks for 2,500 Bucks. And, I am not trying to run for Prez and convince people I am an expert on the war and region. None-the-less, Tommy's second idea to solve Iraq sounds straight out of academia. Remember I just came from academia as an old student with a 3.50 grade average over associate's, bachelor's, and master's work. So I know academic hyperbole by a professor type that has never been where he is preaching about. Here is Tommy's second Iraq idea:

   "The United States should work with Iraqis to support elections of leaders in each of the nation's 18 provinces to operate under a national government. A model much like states in the United States, this will give Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds their own pieces of Iraq. The creation of distinct states or regions will form a confederation that allows each group to operate their local affairs in a manner that best suits its people, religious beliefs and culture, and goals for the future. These states would provide representation to a national government that would provide a defense for all of Iraq and an economic infrastructure." (Tommy Thompson for President Web site - www.tommy2008.com, War on Terror Page)

   Tommy has also been quoted along the campaign trail:

   "You would have the opportunity for individuals to move into those territories which are controlled by their religious theocracy, and you would get away from this inane civil war." (USA Today link.)

   See my assessment of the Kurds at (What is Victory in Iraq?) to get my impression of the timbre the Kurds have toward the rest of Iraq. Again, remember at least Tommy has an idea, but has anyone in his campaign even been to Iraq? Again, I am looking for a better job - hint, hint. The people there are so intertwined religiously, ethnically, and socially, it is a grand leap to assume they will move down the road to the "good life" provided by an imaginary, "like" culture. This is an assumption made by an academic that has never set foot in the dynamic and dangerous place we all know and love as "Iraq." 

   The Kurds for example (I talk about them because I spent my most time in Iraq in their region) are really a hodge-podge of several ethnic and political groups under the auspice of "Kurd." There are Yazidis, Assyrians, Turkmens, Persians, Capitalists, Islamists, Sunnis, Shiites, Iranians, Armenians, Turks, Socialists, Communists, and more Islamists, all marginally holding together a regional government in Northern Iraq we all refer to as "Kurd." See my entry on the complicated Kurdish dynamics at (Northern Iraq - Land of Orwell).

   Good luck Tommy, fix'n your old bosse's mess. By the by, wasn't one of the reasons you left his administration something about Washington being full of mean people and the like or some such reason? Ah, but now you want to be...Prez yourself? But I digress. But, one caveat I might leave you with is, hop on a plane and walk around Iraq a bit to meet the good folks there. You can go with me the next time I go. If you go with me though, you have to promise to keep a low profile - entourages with shinny SUVs and muscle bound body guards clad with body armor and machine guns draw attention for some reason. 

   This week's Wisconsin soldier to remember is Private First Class Nichole M. Frye, 19 of Lena, Oconto County. Nichole was killed when a roadside bomb struck her convoy in Baquba, Iraq, on Monday, February 16, 2004. Pfc. Frye was with Company A, 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve. Four other soldiers in the Michigan-based unit were wounded in the attack. Pfc Frye had been deployed to Iraq just one month before her death. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Frye, had worked as a waitress. She was the second woman from Wisconsin and the third reservist from the state to die in Iraq. Frye was the 10th Wisconsin soldier to have died while serving in Iraq since the beginning of the war. The Journal Sentinel also noted Frye joined the Army a couple months before high school graduation in the spring of 2002. She originally joined a nearby Green Bay-based civil affairs battalion but was transferred to the Michigan unit prior to heading for Iraq in January 2004. According to the Associated press via the Journal Sentinel she was delivering supplies like water and food to various assignments and books to the kids. The Journal Sentinel mentioned that Civil affairs Reserve units are loaded with soldiers who have white-collar experience. Their jobs can involve anything from rebuilding sewer systems to helping with elections. Nichole is survived by her mom and dad and a younger brother and sister. 

   3,510 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring 2003.

   25,830 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring 2003.