Joe Biden has often used his platform as the Democrat most likely to be paid attention to on national security issues to unimpressive effect. But with regards to the Bush escalation plan, he's playing for the good guys: "I totally oppose this surging of additional American troops into Baghdad. It’s contrary to the overwhelming body of informed opinion, both inside and outside the administration." Biden says he'll start his Iraq hearings on January 9.
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Good Biden
27 Dec 2006 10:21 am
Comments (8)
He just ripped that language off from a 1973 Senator Fulbright press release.
Biden says he'll start his Iraq hearings on January 9.
Assuming Tim Johnson doesn't kick the bucket.
Here's the Democratic membership on Foreign Relations:
Biden
Dodd
Kerry
Feingold
Boxer
Nelson (Fl)
Obama
Menendez
Cardin
Casey
Webb
Biden, Dodd, Kerry, and Obama are running for president; Feingold, Boxer, Menendez and Webb all have strong anti-Iraq war records; Bill Nelson and Bob Casey Jr. have hawkish records (Nelson in terms of votes, Casey in terms of rhetoric); Cardin voted against the Iraq War Resolution in 2002.
I think the Dems are going to challenge Bush on his escalation policy, and then let him have his surge. Which is the smart thing to do politically.
The political objective for the Dems should be to avoid taking any responsibility for the war policy, and leave it all on Bush and Cheney, Iraq is going to be a catastrophe no matter what policy is adopted now, so they should keep Bush and Cheney in the driver's seat for as long as possible, while criticizing from the back seat.
Anyway, there's no way to stop the escalation, short of removing Bush and Cheney from office, or cutting off funding for the war, which we can't do while there are troops over there.
As far as I am concerned, Biden just likes to hear himself talk and express how "pained" he is about whatever he is talking about. Witness the Supreme Court nominee hearings before the Judiciary Committee. For me he will always be the Senator from MBNA and I will never forgive him for spearheading the Bankruptcy bill. After the expert from Harvard Law cogently and expertly expressed her opposition to the bill at the hearings, all he could say to her dismissively was, " Your good."
I wonder if he also supports bankruptcy Reform in Iraq.
I believe he supported the authorization of a bankrupt policy in October 2002.
A year ago there were 183,000 coalition troops in Iraq.
Now there are 158,000, or some 25,000 less.
So surging an additional 20,000 to 30,000 tropps would just take us back to where we were a year ago.
If 183,000 troops could not succeed a year ago, why would anyone expect 183,000 troops to succeed next year?
Comments closed January 10, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
Notwithstanding this development, I still think Bush's plan sucks.
Posted by Steve | December 27, 2006 10:43 AM