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Frederick Kagan, an American Enterprise Institute fellow and leading proponent of the "surge" of troops into Iraq, today released Phase II of the institute's "Plan for Success in Iraq." One of its more notable features is a bid to get everyday Americans more involved in the war effort.

The Bush administration, he says, has been "slow and timid" in pointing out ways in which Americans can support troops "and connect with the Iraqi people [the soldiers] are risking their lives to save."

To that end, Kagan suggests creating "a military craigslist-style" website where units or provincial reconstruction teams could "identify equipment and supplies that would help the Iraqi people."

He also suggested allowing American families to sponsor a soldier and encouraging sponsored soldiers to maintain blogs.

"It would help the American people gain a more realistic appraisal of what's going on, unfiltered by the media," Kagan notes, adding that "as security permits," CEOs and other corporate leaders should be given "more chances to visit the Green Zone and other secured areas and meet and interact with American forces in the theater."

Says Kagan: "There are a number of easy ways to increase the involvement of the American people in this war, encouraging and supporting the troops and increasing the likelihood of success."

--Anna Mulrine