Biden on Iraq « Logipundit

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Biden on Iraq

Finally a Democrat with a plan (thanks for contributing) . . .

I haven't quite formulated my opinion of Biden in the '08 Presidential contest - but I'm curious what the Logipundits think about his 5-point plan for Iraq that I just got an email on:

First, the plan calls for maintaining a unified Iraq by decentralizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis their own regions. The central government would be left in charge of common interests, such as border security and the distribution of oil revenue.

Second, it would bind the Sunnis to the deal by guaranteeing them a proportionate share of oil revenue. Each group would have an incentive to maximize oil production, making oil the glue that binds the country together.

Third, the plan would create a massive jobs program while increasing reconstruction aid -- especially from the oil-rich Gulf states -- but tying it to the protection of minority rights.

Fourth, it would convene an international conference that would produce a regional nonaggression pact and create a Contact Group to enforce regional commitments.

Fifth, it would begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces this year and withdraw most of them by the end of 2007, while maintaining a small follow-on force to keep the neighbors honest and to strike any concentration of terrorists.

Posted at 09:32 am by DC Offline


	Scottie August 27, 2006 08:20 PM PDT The times I have seen Biden discuss issues, I have always found him to be well-informed, serious, and overall an intelligent guy that considers many perspectives. From the Democrats in office now, I think he is one of the better thinkers. I would consider Russ Feingold to be in a similar league. I just read over his plan, and it seems pretty good. The plan considers many fractious points, and it might work. The problem with the current admin with respect to Iraq is that there wasn't any plan outside of the military plans. Remember that the declaration by Pres Bush that major hostilities were over were a bit premature, and as time has rolled on, it seems that the current admin had no clear exit strategy. I am quite up - in - arms about how I will cast my next Presidential vote. I like the Liberterians, I like Nader, I like Chuck Hagel, I could possibly vote for a Democrat for the first time in my life. I will certainly keep an open mind coming into the next election. In retrospect, I distictly remember the Republican Nomination debates leading up to the '00 election, and I vivdly remember Alan Keyes running circles around McCain and Bush in all debates, which I watched almost religiously. I thought he was the most intelligent, most articulate, most moral man in the running, and it's a shame the Republican party didn't have the sense to back the best candidate, which was Keyes, in my opinion. I can't understand why ... I wonder how the US would be different today had Keyes been endorsed, and not you-know-who


	Johnny August 28, 2006 07:46 AM PDT I couldn't agree more! A Scotty-Johnny consensus! I remember after every republican debate, every talk show would concede how brilliant and "articulate" (as a black man, you know) Alan Keyes was, and then you'd hear this exchange: Pundit #1: "Yes, Keyes clearly was the most intelligent and eloquent. He was better able to articulate many positions that a majority of Republicans endorse, mainly smaller government, tax policy, and pro-life issues. I wonder if there would be any room in the Bush administration for so articulate a voice." Pundit #2: "Hold your horses there, buddy, not a single vote has been cast. McCain still has a shot, you know. But yes, Keyes does speak so very well, doesn't he?" If I'm not mistaken, you watched one of those debate in Red River New Mexico over either spaghetti or a fantastic chili...if I'm not mistaken the onions were chopped very, very finely that day.


	Johnny August 28, 2006 07:49 AM PDT Scotty, I totally agree regarding Keyes. If I'm not mistaken you watched one of those debates in Red River New Mexico with a bowl of particularly good chili. I remember specifically how fine the onions were chopped on that day.


	Johnny August 28, 2006 07:59 AM PDT Scotty, I couldn't agree more regarding Keyes.


	BP August 28, 2006 06:04 PM PDT LOL...on the other hand I'm going to keep the duplicate posts by Johnny...I think it's funny that they got shorter and shorter...I think if he would have put a 4th one, it would have said, "Yep". Anyway...we did indeed watch one of those debates in New Mexico, and Keyes mopped the floor with all of them. Too bad he want WAY off the deep end in the 2004 election when he ran against Obama...did anyone catch any of that? I SERIOUSLY think NPR put something in his cereal. (For instance if you're a Republican black guy running in Chicago against a Democrat black guy, what's the LAST subject you probably dwell on? Yep, you got it, slavery...and that's ALL HE FRICKING TALKED ABOUT! It was so embarrassing.) As far as Joe Biden, he does come across very intelligent when he talks about these issues. My main problem with him is that he backed Kerry AGGRESSIVELY in the last election and I thought that was a particularly bad idea. Typically the farther away he gets from an election the more sense he makes, and I agree that his plan does make some sense. The number ONE thing I like about Biden, though, is that he speaks English. He's VERY good at explaining himself in real language without slipping into that "Senatese" that Mr Kerry is so good at. Not a huge Feingold fan, or necessarily a Hagel fan, but would vote for Hagel before McCain (whose attitude also changes drastically with the election cycles). I do sincerely hope, though, that the Democrat party is smart enough to nominate a Feingold or a Biden...(there's another one isn't there?)...instead of a Clinton, Kerry, Edwards, etc... And I hope the Republicans nominate virtually anyone but McCain.


	BP August 28, 2006 06:06 PM PDT OH...and I echo E's comment...finally a Democrat with a plan...God bless Biden for that.


	Scottie August 28, 2006 07:34 PM PDT hey i do remember that chili that i cooked and it took like 3 hours longer for the beans to get ready because of the damn altitude it was good though, especially after i insisted everybody add the sour cream and cheese hmmmm the good old days, when i was a devout republican with not a care in the world... biden or feingold would be so much better than hillary, on the democratic side i'll move to france if that aipac ass-kisser gets elected i still have a dream that one day americans can choose, not from the lesser of two evils, but among a group of candidates with open access to the microphone when michael badnarik and ralph nader got arrested for trying to attend one of the presidential elections in 2004, (especially since badnarik was the candidate from the third largest party and was on the ballot of every single state) i realized that , despite the fancy packaging , the democratic ideal in the us isnt ideal at all.


	BP August 30, 2006 09:36 AM PDT Really? I didn't hear that...you have a link to that? When you say Presidential election, what do you mean?


	Emily August 30, 2006 09:28 PM PDT Now all we need are more plans...I don't particularly like this one, but at least someone had the balls to offer one. I say, bring it on. 1st and 2nd point: I'm assuming that every region, although separate will be unified because of oil? Isn't that part of the problem? What happens when technology or what-have-you makes oil obsolete (I hope this happens sooner than later)? Also, the central govt. is supposed to control borders...which ones? The ones between the regions or between the countries? Sounds like the borders (both between the regions and the countries) could go the way of the Shebaa Farms fiasco (one of many possible examples, I'm sure). Third Point--A Job program...who would provide jobs? the central government? Kinda vague here and a little communistic if the jobs come from the govt, eh? How would you collect reconstruction aid from the oil-rich Gulf States? Would they give it voluntarily, just like the "rich" in the US give their money voluntarily? Who are minorities here? Christians? Seems to me the minority in one region would prefer to go the region where they are the majority. Fourth point--Can anyone say UN? I'm not confident with anything the UN declares; I don't know why we're wasting our tax dollars on it! A fault of an international conference can be seen, again, with Shebaa Farms. Fifth point---don't know much about militaristic strategy, but I do know that there aren't any concentrations of terrorists; terrorists know better than to concentrate themselves. It's their ability to operate sparsely that's so problematic. I think points 1-4, as a whole, demonstrate what the world does not like about the US and that is the world perceives us as wanting to be the conductor for the political and social aspects of the world (pseudo Imperialism).


	Scottie August 30, 2006 10:01 PM PDT YIPE !!!!!!!!!! I meant presidential debates ! NOT election badnarik and nader were arrested for trying to gain entrance to the last presidential debate i was either tired or drinking a beer when i wrote that, and i honestly think it was the former

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