Posted on 12/05/2004 9:50:27 AM PST by kattracks
The Democratic Party's top foreign policy expert in the Senate said Sunday that the U.S. is losing what he described as a war with "too little legitimacy" in Iraq, even though attacks against U.S. troops have plummeted in recent weeks and enemy leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi has publicly proclaimed the battle of Fallujah a massive U.S. victory.In a morale-busting diatribe that's certain to bring delight to the hearts of America's enemies worldwide, Sen. Joe Biden complained that while U.S. forces have won every battle, the Bush administration's flawed strategy has doomed the war effort. "We've won everything we've tried to do, including Fallujah," Biden told ABC's "This Week." "But then we've lacked the resources to secure what we've won. And we're still paying an awesome price for the initial failures on policy of this administration, of going in with too little power and too little legitimacy."
Biden had just returned from a trip to Iraq with his Senate Foreign Relations Committee colleague Chuck Hagel, who told reporters on Thursday: "I did not find one commander who said to me, 'We're winning.'"
Biden said he agreed with that assessment, telling "This Week," "That's clearly my impression."
On the prospects for a successful Iraqi election in January, the Delaware Democrat was equally pessimistic, saying, "Success is still possible but it is receding rapidly. It is being made much more difficult. And anybody who tells you - like we were told just prior to the November election - that Iraq is more secure, that is simply not true. Not true."
He predicted that American forces would continue to take an increasing number of casualties in Iraq, saying, "We have to level with the American people. This is going to be incredibly painful."
Biden's assessment, however, was contradicted by Pentagon officials, who said last week that attacks against U.S. forces had actually plummeted sharply in the wake of the Fallujah victory.
"Military officials report that attacks across all of Iraq have dropped from 130 to 50 per day," NBC's Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski reported on Monday.
The Delaware Democrat's pessimistic view also didn't jibe with comments from enemy leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi, who candidly admitted two weeks ago in an audiotaped message posted to an Islamic web site that his forces were on the ropes after suffering a devastating defeat in Fallujah.
"Hundreds of thousands of the nation's sons are being slaughtered at the hands of the infidels," an alarmed Zarqawi announced.
Blaming Sunni clerics for not supporting his reign of terror, the enemy leader complained that U.S. forces were "inflicting the worst suffering, cutting the throats of the holy warriors."
"This Week" host George Stephanopoulos opted not to ask Sen. Biden about either the declining attack numbers or Zarqawi's admission of defeat.
Biden is correct. We needed more troops.
Hey, don't sell this guy short - Biden knows a good speech when he steals one!
Biden...aggravated 'cause he lost his chance to become SoS?
He couldn't find one because no one wanted to be misquoted, plagerized, or taken out of context.
So what's the problem? Isn't this what he's supposed to say? I don't really trust the Republican Party's 'top foreign policy expert' completely either. It's hard to know exactly what's going on in Iraq. It's a big country (not exactly Lichtenstein). There is very little instant access to information and there's alot going on. Republicans focus on the good news. Democrats focus on the bad news. It's hard to put a complete picture together. All we are left with is to weed out the truth from the propaganda.
Biden... Isn't he the Senator whose Presidential quest died when he was exposed has having plagerized foreign communists? Interpreting his remarks in this context makes them rather unremarkable. So why is this news?
Didn't Neil Kinnock say the exact same thing?
"Sen. Joe Biden complained that while U.S. forces have won every battle, the Bush administration's flawed strategy has doomed the war effort."
Remember Cronkite said basically the same thing about Vietnam and look what happened. In the 80s I read a book "The Tunnels of Cu Chi" and at the end they talked with the architect of the NVA victory and he said after the TET offensive they either had to get the US to the table to negotiate them out of the war or they were going to have to give up. That was quite different from what Cronkite said after the TET offensive.
Are we in for an instant replay here? If Biden gets his way we are.
We can't lose, but there is nothing to win either. This war is Iraq's war not ours. They brought us in, indirectly for sure, but a win for us would not be the gain of territory, swag, or slaves, the traditional signs of victory. The best case is to have the election and get out. Hopefully Iran would then not collapse like Vietnam. Even if it does, it wouldn't be our business. The best outcome would be some peace and d@#$ quiet in the 'hood.
Sen Joe Biden is of so little importance, a Zit trying to be a Boil. Delaware deserves better representation that what Out of the Biden can give them. This guy wants to tie the hands of our government in trying to find the Terrorists and the Zarqawi Insergents who are killing our sons and daughter in Iraq.
He and Teddy have no useful purpose for their party or for the people they claim to represent. The are Socialists, not Americans. They should be replaced with persons who will uphold and defend our Constitutional Republic.
One can envision Joe Biden anxiously rubbing his hands together while watching bodies floating in the surf at Omaha Beach, saying the same thing.
It's a "vision thing", Joe. You don't have it. It's unlikely you ever will.
Are these remarks his, or did he plagirize them from Neil Kinnock? (c8
Biden is losing even more ..Illegitimate.. crediblity..
Question, Joe; How many US commanders did you interview in the hotel bar while you were in Baghdad?
He's best remembered for chairing the committee that, with a straight face, allowed Ted Kennedy to lecture Clarence Thomas on how not to treat a woman.
More evidence that America dodged a bullet on 11/2.
"Biden needs to be scalped"====
-----that's funny, considering his bad hair transplant.
Besides, how would he know?
His comprehension of strategic matters is right up there with Eleanor Rodham Clift and Terry McAwful.
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