Posted on 09/27/2007 2:12:33 PM PDT by saganite
BIDEN IRAQ PLAN PLAN PASSES SENATE BY WIDE MARGIN Seen As First Major Step To Ending U.S. Involvement In Iraq
Wilmington, DE (September 26, 2007) - In a major repudiation of President Bush's failed policy in Iraq, Sen. Joe Biden's plan for a federal system in Iraq passed the Senate today by a vote of 75-23, garnering key bipartisan support from leaders of both parties in the U.S. Senate. In May of 2006, Sen. Biden, along with President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations Leslie H. Gelb, announced a detailed plan for promoting a political settlement in Iraq that would allow our troops to leave, without leaving chaos behind. The plan called for a decentralized, federal system in Iraq, which would give its people local control over the fabric of their daily lives, including police, jobs, education and government services. A limited central government would be responsible for protecting Iraq's borders and distributing its oil revenues.
Sen. Biden's amendment today to the Defense Authorization Bill is based on his federalism plan for Iraq and is a product of his year-long effort working across the aisle to build support. During the vote, Sen. Biden's plan secured the support of key leaders in the U.S. Senate from both parties, including Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI), former Chairman John Warner (R-VA) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN). Last December, Sen. Biden became the first Democrat to oppose President Bush's proposed surge of additional troops in Iraq, stating at the time, that the only way to end this war was to build a bipartisan consensus opposed to President Bush's policy.
(Excerpt) Read more at campaignsandelections.com ...
Hey, does this mean we can ship Biden off to Iraq since he is now the Iraqi President and in charge of implementing the government formation and reformation there?
Do you think Bush would be allowed to appoint a new Senator from Delaware to replace Biden? (It may have to be a citizen from another state since I’m not sure there are actually any remotely acceptable replacement candidates living in DE currently.) Maybe Alan Keyes will offer to move to DE to run for the open seat
How stupid is this. Iraq is a sovereign nation...where does Biden get off with this? On top of that, how many pubs voted for this ignorant amendment.
Here’s the language of the Biden Amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill. Basically the Senate trying to conduct foreign policy again. 75 little presidents.
SEC. 1535. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON FEDERALISM IN IRAQ.
(a) Findings.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Iraq continues to experience a self-sustaining cycle of sectarian violence.
(2) The ongoing sectarian violence presents a threat to regional and world peace, and the long-term security interests of the United States are best served by an Iraq that is stable, not a haven for terrorists, and not a threat to its neighbors.
(3) Iraqis must reach a comprehensive and sustainable political settlement in order to achieve stability, and the failure of the Iraqis to reach such a settlement is a primary cause of increasing violence in Iraq.
(4) The Key Judgments of the January 2007 National Intelligence Estimate entitled ``Prospects for Iraq’s Stability: A Challenging Road Ahead’’ state, ``A number of identifiable developments could help to reverse the negative trends driving Iraq’s current trajectory. They include: Broader Sunni acceptance of the current political structure and federalism to begin to reduce one of the major sources of Iraq’s instability . . . Significant concessions by Shia and Kurds to create space for Sunni
acceptance of federalism’’.
(5) Article One of the Constitution of Iraq declares Iraq to be a ``single, independent federal state’’.
(6) Section Five of the Constitution of Iraq declares that the ``federal system in the Republic of Iraq is made up of a decentralized capital, regions, and governorates, and local administrations’’ and enumerates the expansive powers of regions and the limited powers of the central government and establishes the mechanisms for the creation of new federal regions.
(7) The federal system created by the Constitution of Iraq would give Iraqis local control over their police and certain laws, including those related to employment, education, religion, and marriage.
(8) The Constitution of Iraq recognizes the administrative role of the Kurdistan Regional Government in 3 northern Iraqi provinces, known also as the Kurdistan Region.
(9) The Kurdistan region, recognized by the Constitution of Iraq, is largely stable and peaceful.
(10) The Iraqi Parliament approved a federalism law on October 11th, 2006, which establishes procedures for the creation of new federal regions and will go into effect 18 months after approval.
(11) Iraqis recognize Baghdad as the capital of Iraq, and the Constitution of Iraq stipulates that Baghdad may not merge with any federal region.
(12) Despite their differences, Iraq’s sectarian and ethnic groups support the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq.
(13) Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stated on November 27, 2006, ``The crisis is political, and the ones who can stop the cycle of aggravation and bloodletting of innocents are the politicians’’.
(b) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the United States should actively support a political settlement among Iraq’s major factions based upon the provisions of the Constitution of Iraq that create a federal system of government and allow for the creation of federal regions;
(2) the active support referred to in paragraph (1) should include—
(A) calling on the international community, including countries with troops in Iraq, the permanent 5 members of the United Nations Security Council, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Iraq’s neighbors—
(i) to support an Iraqi political settlement based on federalism;
(ii) to acknowledge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq; and
(iii) to fulfill commitments for the urgent delivery of significant assistance and debt relief to Iraq, especially those made by the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council;
(B) further calling on Iraq’s neighbors to pledge not to intervene in or destabilize Iraq and to agree to related verification mechanisms; and
(C) convening a conference for Iraqis to reach an agreement on a comprehensive political settlement based on the creation of federal regions within a united Iraq;
(3) the United States should urge the Government of Iraq to quickly agree upon and implement a law providing for the equitable distribution of oil revenues, which is a critical component of a comprehensive political settlement based upon federalism; and
(4) the steps described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) could lead to an Iraq that is stable, not a haven for terrorists, and not a threat to its neighbors.
Iraq is a sovereign country. We can’t dictate to them because they will invite us to leave. Perhaps that is that the plan?
What part of ‘Iraq is a democracy’ does Smilin’ Joe not get?!
Cuz that would p#$$ off the ACLU.
Hey Joe, this sounds like what the United States used to be until you defeatocrats started giving it away.
Yeah, reading about what Ole Joe wants for Iraq kinda makes me jealous.
when you consider the deep divisions within Iraq from the gitgo, they have done amazingly well. They have an established government, far from perfect but they are actively working out the bugs, They are under tremendous pressure from the AlQaida/Iran forces on the one hand and the US Congress on the other. But they are getting there, just not as quickly as we want.
The President’s plan from the beginning was to stay there until they could take care of themselves both politically and miltarily. I believe he was right then and he is right now.
What we need is an America behind him and them.
Thanks for your opposing opinion. If we do that, isn’t it going to propegate a problem that will never be resolved. If these people come together jointly for self-rule, it should provide a lasting resolution to the differences. Otherwise we’re goning to have skirmishes forever.
The riches of the nation are hard to divy up. There isn’t any real agreement on that, but now folks want to split it up anyway. And they’re advocating this after we have essentially won the victory.
Biden and company are notorius for stealing defeat from the jaws of victory. Why would we want to assist him? I certainly disagree with you.
Take care.
I am so confused. Isnt it the libs who call us occupiers? Isnt it them who says we dont belong in a government that doesnt want us? Yet ...scratches head....they pass a resolution dictating what kind of government Iraq should have?
sounds more like a bait and switch for voters.
Maybe Biden and someone from Iraq can just switch...kinda like schools used to do with students.
“Regardless how right or wrong the idea itself may be, it’s up to the Iraqis to determine how their government is constituted, not the US Senate.”
Why? It wouldn’t be the first time that we determined or seriously affected the formation of a government to good effect. Is it right to stand by the current government, in the name of democracy, if is sinks into civil war? Don’t forget this proposal isn’t throwing out democracy, it just suggests a different kind.
There is alot of angry voices in the Iraqi parliament, mostly from the sunnis and sadrists, calling it gross interference in their affairs, bla bla bla.
Some MPs are calling on the government never to allow Jo Biden to step into Iraq anymore.
The MPs from the government coalition are trying to calm things down by reminding everyone that the US administration is not obliged to follow this ‘resolution’.
Iraq doesn’t want this. Iraq’s neighbors don’t want this. The military commanders on the ground don’t want this. Considering the intermixing of Iraqis, it makes no sense. Talk about imposing something on a sovereign nation.
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