Political Genuis

Here is the best idea I've heard in a long time about how to stablize Iraq. Create an oil trust.

The set up: Create trust where a very large percentage of Iraqi oil revenue is placed. Each individual Iraqi, who pledges allegience to the government, is eligible to receive their fair share. The trust money is invested in Iraqi government bonds. The people, in short, own a percentage of their government and have a direct financial incentive to have peace and stability. For children, this will be the best deal, because over time, this money will grow and grow as the profits in the trust grow with government stability.

If we tie the establishment of the account to voting registration, in one step, Iraqi's can both stake an ownership in their oil, their government, and their right to elect officials. They would be refusing the Baathist message, which states: we have the right to the oil revenues because we're the toughest, baddest guys on the block. It would reject the Islamicists quest for oil control in the country as well.

I don't see a big downside here, but a great opportunity. John Kerry could have run on this and gathered a couple million more votes, I should think.