Attention, Mr. President: Democrats HAVE Offered Plans For Iraq. Where’s Yours?!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

From Erin Medlicott and the Biden-Gelb Plan For Iraq (www.PlanForIraq.com):

On Friday, Nov. 3, while campaigning in Missouri for Republican Senator Jim Talent, Pres. Bush grabbed the podium with both hands, and blasted Democrats as being tax-happy and gun-shy about Iraq. He shouted, “Ask them this question. What’s Your Plan?”

Throughout this week’s campaign stops, Bush repeated his favorite mantra, “Democrats Have No Plan For Iraq.” Maybe if he keeps saying it, he will believe it. But voters are smarter than he thinks, and their voices were heard over the past several months in research polls asking them whether they think Bush has taken America in the wrong direction.

With a disapproval rating of over 60%, the President is clearly ignoring the facts and is trying very hard to keep those facts from the voting public.

Not only have Democratic leaders authored several comprehensive strategies for Iraq, they delivered them to the President in Congressional letters, dated July 30, Sept. 4 and Oct 20, 2006. These letters are a matter of public record.

In addition, Democrats urged President Bush to push Iraqis to reach a sustainable political settlement, including amending the Iraqi Constitution to achieve a fair sharing of power and resources.

Yet this Administration chooses to repeat “Democrats Have No Plan For Iraq.” Kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it.

As Democrats underscored the need to disarm the militias, and called for an international conference to involve key countries, and to secure resources to finance Iraq’s reconstruction, Republicans back-slapped these strategies by voting down the Democratic three-part amendment earlier this year.

The most well-known of the Democratic plans for Iraq is authored by U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-DE) and Council on Foreign Relations President Emeritus Leslie H. Gelb, who created a five point plan for Iraq and published it in an OpEd for The New York Times on May 1, 2006.

This Biden-Gelb Plan is a chance to achieve the two objectives most Americans share: to leave Iraq without leaving chaos behind.

The plan would maintain a unified Iraq by decentralizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis breathing room in their own regions - as provided for in the Iraqi constitution. The central government would be responsible for common interests, like border security and the distribution of oil revenues. The plan calls for securing support from the Sunnis - who have no oil — by guaranteeing them a proportionate share (about 20 percent) of oil revenues. It would increase economic aid, ask the oil-rich Arab Gulf states to fund it and tie all assistance to the protection of minority rights and the creation of a jobs program. It would convene a regional conference to enlist the support of Iraq’s neighbors and create a Contact Group of the major powers to enforce their commitments. And the plan would ask our military to draw up plans to responsibly withdraw most U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2007 - enough time for the political settlement to take hold.

As the President remains asleep at the wheel, Senator Biden has stepped up to the challenge of repairing the Administration’s failed Iraq strategy.

Tell me again, Mr. President - WHO doesn’t have a plan for Iraq?

The Biden-Gelb plan has received broad bipartisan interest and support, from new Democratic candidates running for office to Republican stalwarts, and from the editorial pages of the Washington Post to the blogosphere. Here are just a few mentions of the positive press coverage this major news has already received.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial Board (05/02/06)

“Together with incentives (i.e., a share of oil revenue) to attract the Sunnis, a phased American troop withdrawal and a regional non-aggression pact (Iran and Syria, stay out), the Biden-Gelb plan offers at least a semblance of hope. You could even call it a turning point.”

David Broder, Washington Post columnist (5/4/06)

“At a time when most people see nothing but hopeless discord in Iraq, it is healthy to have (Biden) offering alternatives that could produce progress.”

David Yepsen, Des Moines Register columnist (11/2/2006)

“Biden has helped author a program for Iraq. According to his proposal, Iraqis would form three regional governments, Shiite, Sunni and Kurd, as part of a federal government, with Sunnis given a 20% share of oil revenues to make sure they feel vested in the country. At a time when other candidates are spending the closing days of this campaign season airing attack ads and calling each other names, it was refreshing to hear an American political leader talking about bipartisan, nonideological solutions to one of the biggest problems facing the country.”

The Barre Montpelier Times-Argus (VT) Editorial Board (5/2/06)

“Let’s hope someone in the White House reads the Biden-Gelb essay and draws Bush’s attention to a solution he can embrace.”

Jackson Diehl, Washington Post columnist (10/2/06)

“The time may finally be ripe for some of the ideas that have been doggedly pushed for most of this year by Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden, who has been one of his party’s most serious and responsible voices on Iraq… Biden’s basic idea — of an external political intervention backed by an international alliance — is the one big option the Bush Administration hasn’t tried.”

Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board (10/1/06)

“One shining exception to ’slogans over substance’ is U.S. Sen. Joe Biden (D=DE). Gutsily, he’s put forth a plan for dividing Iraq into semi-autonomous Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni zones, with Baghdad as a federal city; a fair division of oil revenues; and U.S. troops nearby as a watchdog against neighbors’ mischief….At least he has put a reality-based proposal on the table. That’s more than most of the people seeking your vote right now seem willing to do.”

David Ignatius, Washington Post columnist (9/30/06)

“The Democrat who has tried hardest to think through these problems is Sen. Joseph Biden. He argues that the current government of national unity isn’t succeeding in holding Iraq together, and that America should instead embrace a policy of ‘federalism plus’ that will devolve power to the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish regions. Iraqis are already voting for sectarian solutions, Biden argues, and America won’t stabilize Iraq unless it aligns its policy with this reality.”

Bill Danvers, UPI Editorial (10/2/06)

“Creative proposals for dealing with U.S. involvement in Iraq — like the one from Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Council on Foreign Relations President Emeritus Leslie Gelb, calling for a unified but decentralized Iraq with more autonomy for its regions and ethnic groups — should be the focus of debate about U.S. policy options, rather than arguing over a date.”

Delaware News Journal Editorial Board (5/3/06)

“Sen. Joseph Biden has done the country a service by forwarding a thoughtful, realistic plan for the future of Iraq.”

The Journal Standard (IL) Editorial Board (5/2/06)

“Sen. Joe Biden… [is] among the few Democrats offering something resembling a plan. On Sunday, he floated the idea of separating Iraq along sectarian lines into three largely autonomous states under the umbrella of a weak central government. That may or may not be the ideal policy. The point is we need to do something radically different. The alternative is a mission perpetually unfulfilled and ever more costly in American blood and treasure.”

John Hall, Cincinnati Post columnist (10/31/2006)

“Ironically, the one area where there is hope things might soften up is on Iraq policy. A few Democrats are willing to stick their necks out for a plan by Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) that would federalize Iraq into three states, each sharing in the country’s oil wealth. Former United Nations Ambassador Richard Holbrooke added heavyweight support to it last week at a time when many had written off the concept as dead. More than that, however, the Biden plan or some variation of it is said to have substantial support within the bipartisan Baker commission. Its special appeal is that it is modeled after the Dayton peace accords, which eventually led to peace in Bosnia and a long-range settlement in the Balkans.”

To find out more about the Biden-Gelb five point plan for Iraq, please visit www.PlanForIraq.com.

[Carol&Marc 0]

SENATOR BIDEN: That good old 20/20 vision looking backwards AFTER the FACT!

John and I believed that the best way to avoid war was to show the world that we were united behind the president's resolve of making Saddam Hussein live up to the commitments made in the U.N. Resolutions. And we believed that if in fact you gave the president that power, it would strengthen Colin Powell's hand at the United Nations and increase exponentially the prospects that the rest of the world would join us. And if he still resisted, then we'd have to use force.

…I really thought the president was up for grabs between the Rumsfelds and the Cheneys of the world --who in retrospect looked like they decided to go to war anyway -- and the Powells and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who were trying to avoid going to war and accomplish the same end. What I never anticipated was how they'd undercut Powell so much….

FLIP MY FLOP!...............I WANNNA BE PRESIDENT!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

SENATOR BIDEN: That good old 20/20 vision looking backwards AFTER the FACT!

John and I believed that the best way to avoid war was to show the world that we were united behind the president's resolve of making Saddam Hussein live up to the commitments made in the U.N. Resolutions. And we believed that if in fact you gave the president that power, it would strengthen Colin Powell's hand at the United Nations and increase exponentially the prospects that the rest of the world would join us. And if he still resisted, then we'd have to use force.

…I really thought the president was up for grabs between the Rumsfelds and the Cheneys of the world --who in retrospect looked like they decided to go to war anyway -- and the Powells and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who were trying to avoid going to war and accomplish the same end. What I never anticipated was how they'd undercut Powell so much….

FLIP MY FLOP!...............I WANNNA BE PRESIDENT!

I've posted numerous times quotes for you of Bush changing his tune (flip-flopping) and not once have I heard you call the President a flip-flopper...again, more empty rhetoric when you don't want to hear opposing views.

Secondly the plan set forth by Biden and Gelb is not about them - but about solutions. If you disagree with the those solutions, then present a convincing argument as to why you don't think this plan won't work. In any case, the continuous rants that the Dems have no plan or that they are cowards (cut and run) is a bold face lie.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Secondly the plan set forth by Biden and Gelb is not about them - but about solutions. If you disagree with the those solutions, then present a convincing argument as to why you don't think this plan won't work. In any case, the continuous rants that the Dems have no plan or that they are cowards (cut and run) is a bold face lie.

They cannot put forth an argument on merits because they haven't been provided with any such thing by the Bush propaganda machinery. Bush's strategery has put us into a whole and all this crowd knows to do is keep on digging...

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Secondly the plan set forth by Biden and Gelb is not about them - but about solutions. If you disagree with the those solutions, then present a convincing argument as to why you don't think this plan won't work. In any case, the continuous rants that the Dems have no plan or that they are cowards (cut and run) is a bold face lie.

They cannot put forth an argument on merits because they haven't been provided with any such thing by the Bush propaganda machinery. Bush's strategery has put us into a whole and all this crowd knows to do is keep on digging...

"Mission Accomplished!" Whoooohooo!

[almaty 19]

oh yeah....it certainly was

[Saddle Bronc 124]

At least two presidents compromised when they should not have:

1. Truman, in 1951 by firing McArthur--who had gone up to the Korea-China border (he was afraid China had nukes--proven in 1965, but not 1951); McArthur could have easily finished the job leaving no more dealing with Kim il-sung (or Kim jong-il now)
   
2. Bush Sr. after Gulf War (1991) when Schwartzkopf and Powell wanted to remove Saddam--"completing the job"; he was afraid of a WORSE enemy than Saddam in Iraq. But there would have then been no need for Bush Jr.'s invasion (as it would have taken till past 2003 before the hypothetical "even worse" could have done anything)
   

Note: only listing US president instances here--not those of foreign leaders.

Edited November 16, 2006 by CherryXS

[one...two...tree 2,762]

At least two presidents compromised when they should not have:

1. Truman, in 1951 by firing McArthur--who had gone up to the Korea-China border (he was afraid China had nukes--proven in 1965, but not 1951); McArthur could have easily finished the job leaving no more dealing with Kim il-sung (or Kim jong-il now)
   
2. Bush Sr. after Gulf War (1991) when Schwartzkopf and Powell wanted to remove Saddam--"completing the job"; he was afraid of a WORSE enemy than Saddam in Iraq. But there would have then been no need for Bush Jr.'s invasion (as it would have taken till past 2003 before the hypothetical "even worse" could have done anything)
   

Note: only listing US president instances here--not those of foreign leaders.

What about the Biden-Gelb plan for Iraq? Any thoughts?

[Saddle Bronc 124]

What about the Biden-Gelb plan for Iraq? Any thoughts?

Major flaw in it--Iraq has never had a Mujibur Rehman figure (though Bush Jr. removed the Ayub/Yahya figure--compare to both, as like them he caused two wars he couldn't win, Iran/Iraq and Gulf), who could unite such disparate factions as are in Iraq.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

CherryXS,

The important thing is that there is finally a dialogue (bipartisan) on really looking at what to do with our crisis in Iraq. Questions need to be raised regarding whatever course of action we take and scrutiny applied in all directions. In any case, to reduce the answer down to slogans of 'stay the course' or 'cut and run' is doing nothing to solve the problem.

Senate looking to Biden for answers

Senator's plan for Iraq gets more interest as Democrats take control

WASHINGTON -- If the midterm elections were a signal that the American public wants a change in Iraq, Sen. Joe Biden believes he is holding the blueprints.

For the past six months, Biden, D-Del., has been pushing a plan he hopes would ease ethnic tensions and set the stage for troop withdrawal within the next year. Greeted with skepticism at first, the Biden plan drew increasing interest as the situation in Iraq grew more violent and the public grew increasingly impatient with the idea of staying the course.

Democratic candidates began asking Biden to brief them about his plan. Senate Republicans began quietly lining up to support his idea of creating separate, semi-autonomous regions for Iraq's warring ethnic groups to clear the way for an eventual U.S. withdrawal. President Bush began fielding questions about the plan at news conferences.

"We have a narrow window before 2008 kicks in to get a bipartisan consensus on Iraq," said Biden, who plans to be one of the candidates vying for the White House in 2008.

Control of the Senate had been teetering on a race in Virginia. Late Wednesday, the Associated Press was reporting that Democrats took control with a victory in that race, giving the Democrats total control of Congress for the first time in 12 years. If that holds true, Biden would once again chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with a prominent voice in U.S. policy in Iraq.

A change in U.S. policy appears to be coming -- the president signaled as much when he accepted Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation.

"The president would absolutely have to be -- not just tone deaf -- but stone deaf" to keep Rumsfeld on after the midterm upset, Biden said.

The Iraq Study Group, chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker III and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton, has been charged with taking a hard look at the war and proposing a new strategy. Biden said he expects the group's recommendations to line up with many of his own.

"It may sound trite, but this election has profound consequences," he said. "We now have a chance to find a way forward, the president and Congress."

Exit polls found the majority of voters unhappy with the direction of the war in Iraq. Many said they believe Democrats, not Republicans, will find a way out of the war.

Multi-pronged plan draws support

Biden laid out his plan in April, in an opinion column co-authored with Leslie Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. Among other things, his plan calls for:

• Creating a decentralized government in Iraq, with separate regional governments for Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. The plan, which critics call a partition of Iraq and Biden calls "federalism," is meant to give the warring factions space to cool tensions.

• Ensuring the support of the Sunnis, who occupy the one region of Iraq that has no oil resources, by guaranteeing them a fair share of Iraq's oil revenues.

• Calling on other wealthy Arab states to support Iraq's economic recovery.

• Drawing up plans to withdraw most U.S. forces by the end of 2007, as the local governments take control of their internal affairs.

Biden's plan generated enough interest to draw congressional candidates such as New York Democrat Dan Maffei, who invited him to join him on a media conference call to discuss Iraq policy.

"Voters may not know much about the Biden plan, but they're informed enough to appreciate the fact that there's someone out there who has specific ideas," Maffei said. "We don't want to stay the course. We want to improve the course."

Maffei's challenge to incumbent Rep. James Walsh, R-N.Y., ended in a near-draw. As of Wednesday evening, the race seemed headed to a recount, with Maffei about 3,000 votes short of a win.

'I believe he got the message'

Biden's plan also won adherents closer to home in Delaware. In a U.S. Senate debate sponsored by The News Journal, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., touted Biden's framework as one option for Iraq worthy of serious study and consideration.

The president has fielded questions about Biden's plan as well. "He's been specifically asked about the Biden plan, and he has explained why he thought it was a mistake," Biden said.

Biden said he heard some encouraging words in Bush's speech announcing Rumsfeld's departure.

"I believe he got the message that this election was about Iraq. He said a lot of the right things," Biden said.

"He talked about reaching out to the Democrats, to seek a bipartisan way forward. I applaud him for that. Democrats want to work with him. Now we need to see him act on those words."

For his part, Biden said he is ready to look forward, rather than rehash what has occurred in Iraq.

If he regains the Senate chairmanship, Biden said, his focus will be on a plan for Iraq's future. He has no immediate plans to summon Bush administration officials for a reckoning for their past actions.

"We have to pull our chestnuts out of the fire now," he said. "And that's not the way to do it."

Contact Jennifer Brooks at jabrooks@gns.gannett.com.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dl...90364/1006/NEWS

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Steven, I hate to break it to you: The President has a plan to get us out of the hole in Iraq.

[President's plan]

Keep Digging!

[/President's plan]

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Steven, I hate to break it to you: The President has a plan to get us out of the hole in Iraq.

[President's plan]

Keep Digging!

[/President's plan]

I was beginning to wonder if my posts of Biden's plan were coming out with invisible text because none of the people who keep saying the Dems have no plan have responded. Like a broken record, all I hear is, 'cut and run', 'cut and run', 'cut and run'.

[Heracles 417]

In addition, Democrats urged President Bush to push Iraqis to reach a sustainable political settlement, including amending the Iraqi Constitution to achieve a fair sharing of power and resources.

So GWB should amend the "IRAQI" constitution?

As Democrats underscored the need to disarm the militias, and called for an international conference to involve key countries, and to secure resources to finance Iraq’s reconstruction, Republicans back-slapped these strategies by voting down the Democratic three-part amendment earlier this year.

The plan would maintain a unified Iraq by decentralizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis breathing room in their own regions - as provided for in the Iraqi constitution. The central government would be responsible for common interests.... And the plan would ask our military to draw up plans to responsibly withdraw most U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2007 - enough time for the political settlement to take hold.

riiiight.. So people who have been beheading and killing their fellow citizens let alone others are simply going to hand in their weapons and sit at a table to talk about it. Lets try this with Hesbola in Lebanon first..

Their plans are as stupid as someone saying, "I wish for world peace". That is not a plan.. Anyway, they are in control know so lets see what these geniuses can do.. Lets see if they can walk the talk..

[one...two...tree 2,762]

In addition, Democrats urged President Bush to push Iraqis to reach a sustainable political settlement, including amending the Iraqi Constitution to achieve a fair sharing of power and resources.

So GWB should amend the "IRAQI" constitution?

As Democrats underscored the need to disarm the militias, and called for an international conference to involve key countries, and to secure resources to finance Iraq’s reconstruction, Republicans back-slapped these strategies by voting down the Democratic three-part amendment earlier this year.

The plan would maintain a unified Iraq by decentralizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis breathing room in their own regions - as provided for in the Iraqi constitution. The central government would be responsible for common interests.... And the plan would ask our military to draw up plans to responsibly withdraw most U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2007 - enough time for the political settlement to take hold.

riiiight.. So people who have been beheading and killing their fellow citizens let alone others are simply going to hand in their weapons and sit at a table to talk about it. Lets try this with Hesbola in Lebanon first..

Their plans are as stupid as someone saying, "I wish for world peace". That is not a plan.. Anyway, they are in control know so lets see what these geniuses can do.. Lets see if they can walk the talk..

Either your selection of news is quite sparse or you don't bother reading the news...period.

Here's just a clip to hopefully shed some light in that cave of yours...

Baker's Panel Rules Out Iraq Victory

By ELI LAKE

Staff Reporter of the Sun

WASHINGTON — A commission formed to assess the Iraq war and recommend a new course has ruled out the prospect of victory for America, according to draft policy options shared with The New York Sun by commission officials.

Currently, the 10-member commission — headed by a secretary of state for President George H.W. Bush, James Baker — is considering two option papers, "Stability First" and "Redeploy and Contain," both of which rule out any prospect of making Iraq a stable democracy in the near term.

More telling, however, is the ruling out of two options last month. One advocated minor fixes to the current war plan but kept intact the long-term vision of democracy in Iraq with regular elections. The second proposed that coalition forces focus their attacks only on Al Qaeda and not the wider insurgency.

Instead, the commission is headed toward presenting President Bush with two clear policy choices that contradict his rhetoric of establishing democracy in Iraq. The more palatable of the two choices for the White House, "Stability First," argues that the military should focus on stabilizing Baghdad while the American Embassy should work toward political accommodation with insurgents. The goal of nurturing a democracy in Iraq is dropped.

http://www.nysun.com/article/41371

[Heracles 417]

Either your selection of news is quite sparse or you don't bother reading the news...period.

Here's just a clip to hopefully shed some light in that cave of yours...

Seriously now, which 'Blogs' to you get your links from..