Senate Overwhelmingly Backs Biden Iraq Plan

AP:

The Senate passed a resolution Wednesday suggesting Baghdad limit the power of its federal government and give more control to Iraq's ethnically divided regions.

The 75-23 vote marked the first agreement on Iraq among lawmakers in months, although it would have little practical effect. Republicans agreed to swing behind the nonbinding measure after it was amended to make clear that Bush should press for a new federalized system only if the Iraqis want it.

Still, the resolution underscores a bipartisan longing in Congress for a fresh diplomatic approach in Iraq. It also was a victory for presidential hopeful Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., a primary sponsor of the resolution along with Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.

Read the whole story: AP

Comments

[smartstuart]

Biden will make a great Sec. of State in Clinton's cabinet-much better than Condisleeza!!!

[Steamboater]

Biden's agenda is really to split up Iraq into 3 parts. It's insane. He would also keep us involved there for many years to come. No one should be fooled by him. Splitting up Iraq would only result in this civil war becoming inter-state wars with the violence spreading beyond present-day Iraq's borders. Give one state independence and the others will feel threatened and start collecting arms from whoever to destroy the other.

[PretzelsOne]

Joe Biden has been presenting his plan for a long time now, but it has only recently begun to get attention and support. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why? It just makes sense, and no Democrat or Republican has offered anything close in terms of a practical, long-term solution to the mess we're in except "Get Out" or "Stay The Course."
Personally, I think Biden would make a great President, but he does seem to rub a lot of people the wrong way.

[heath]

Partition has been the plan from the get go. Divide and Conquer. Biden is playing out the Bushco plan, just what the leadership Dems are expected to do.

Iraq's resources are not equally available in the suggested regions. Partition would merely whittle down the number of policy makers that need to be bought off to commandeer Iraq's resources. In the end there would exist one wholly corrupt region where all the wealth abides, and the other two regions would be left to whither-up and starve.

[vfippinger]

Actually you are dead wrong.
The numbers of Policy makers would increase in this form of Federalisim.
This is the last thing the Bushies want. Our kids are fighting to shove Democracy down their throats to where they can have Bush appointee figure heads decide to sell the natural treasure (oil) to the Bushites with no say from all the different sectors of the Country.

[ProudAmericanLiberal]

Why doesn't it make sense? Because nobody asked the Iraqi people what they want. It's not our place to partition Iraq. It's our place to GET THE HELL OUT!

[vfippinger]

Biden is perhaps the best chance this Country has for a Leader of competence and conscience.
Sadly for us, he would make a better President than he does Candidate.
He has been discussing this form of seperation for several years. In one of his presentations on the floor he graphically showed the "natural" seperation of Iraq as we currently observe it's slow metamorphosis overlayed with very similar seperation on ancient maps.
Biden and Dodd the ONLY 2 to vote against the BS Kyl/Lier-man proposal. Proof these two would rather place Country and Citizens above their own personal desires.
As the news unfolded over the past few days concluding with last night's debate, I am no longer on the fence - it is Biden for 08.
Now if he could only figure out how to conduct a Campaign.

[JoAnnCr]

I love Joe Biden for his foreign policy clout but I wouldn't vote for him because he doesn't have a health care plan that covers everyone.

My husband who is a Type I Diabetic from exposure to Agent Orange can't get health insurance and the VA does not cover Type I Diabetics. Right now he works to get us coverage but everyday we do not know how long his health will allow him to work.

We're backing John Edwards because he has a comprehensive health care coverage plan, a strategy to both pay for it and to get the Congress to pass it.

[vfippinger]

JoAnn, I respect your situation and concerns about health care. My husband and I are uninsured working people, both with cronic health issues.
Joe Biden does have a Health care plan, http://www.joebiden.com/issues?id=0003 a multi step plan that would have more opportunity for realization than most.
I think one of Biden's biggest problems, he is not good at being a candidate and MSN do not cover him like the 3 top runners so many are unaware of his platform.
I like Edwards and voted the Kerry/Edwards ticket in 04. Would I vote for him in the Primary? Not as I feel at this time.
I think the greatest thing that has occured in the past 6 years is the dialouge among citizens. Finally we are all taking a greater interest and role in our Government. I guess we had to fall pretty deep to bang our collective heads into a new awakening.

[THISTLE]

THE MSM HAS TOTALLY IGNORED THE FACT - THAT
OBAMA ONCE AGAIN HID - WHEN IT WAS TIME TO
VOTE ON THIS. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME, HE HID. HE IS AN EMPTY SUIT, AND THE DEBATES
HAVE SHOWN OVER AND OVER AGAIN - HE'S NOT
THAT BRIGHT AND HAS NO REAL IDEAS. SO ONCE
AGAIN THE MEDIA'S MANUFACTURED CANDIDATE IS
A BAG OF AIR.

[THISTLE]

Senator Biden is the most intelligent, the
most honest, the most candid, the most
passionate. He wins every single debate,
including the one tonight on MSNBC.
He was the FIRST to ask, prior to invading
Iraq, "what will happen on day two?"
He was the FIRST to have a REAL PLAN to end
this War, and yet he is not gaining in the
polls. And the only reason he isn't is because
the MSM keeps hyping Hillary & Obama.
And for Obama to even be on the same stage
with Senator Biden is absurd. Obama keeps
proving what an empty suit he is, he is a
disaster in every debate. Senator Biden is
the most qualified, the most intelligent, the
most honest and the most sincere. And I
repeat, he would make an outstanding President.

[tommygolstch]

Why Biden isn't the front runner
shows you how screwed up the democrats are. With all the hoopla,
Hillary may not win in middle america giving the oval office to yet another brain dead republican,
and this country cannot survive another republican president.

[armadillious2002]

Biden may be our man - all the others sounded like so many wishy washy wimps last night and unable to give a straight answer to simple questions. I don't know much about his health care plan however - but I intend to check it out.

[Steamboater]

Doesn't anyone think it would be a good idea for the Iraqies to vote on this before we do? Biden is way out of line in effect partitioning the country. Do that and it will cause enmity between the Muslim world and the U.S. for centuries to come. What madness.

[Think82]

A few key facts about the Biden amendment:

* The legislation does not tell Iraqis what to do. It speaks only to what U.S. policy should be.
* Federalism is not a U.S. or foreign imposition on Iraq. Iraq's own constitution calls a "decentralized, federal system" and sets out the powers of the regions (extensive) and those of the central government (limited). The Constitution also says that in case of conflict between regional and national law, regional law prevails.
* Federalism is not partition. In fact, it's probably the only way to prevent partition or, even worse, the total fragmentation of Iraq.
* Federalism will not accelerate sectarian cleansing; it's the only way to stop it. Iraqis are already voting with their feet, as yesterday's article in the New York Times demonstrates. Before the surge, Iraqis were fleeing their homes at a rate of about 40,000 month; now, it's about 100,000 a month. Unless Iraqis come to some kind of agreement on sharing power peacefully, the cleansing will continue.

[Podewumun]

~Rubinconski~ The world is apparently running backwards after yesterday's phone snafu in Memphis. Hit I'm a fan of and leave message.

[Schaden]

Biden was one of the few democrat candidates who made sense tonight.

[Podewumun]

Und I would love to have heard what Freud would have had to say about you...

[Rubiconski]

Lieberman-Kyl Iran amendment passes. By a vote of 76-22

And here you thought it was the Iranian that was full of hot air.

Suprise! It's our own Congress.

Ding Ding Ding Time to wake up and recognize the simple fact that neither party represents the general welfare of this republic or its people. The federal government has long since become a body preoccupied only with self-preservation and self-aggra­ndizement.

I'm going to start looking for my next home, and it won't be in the US.

Its time to give up on America.

[Podewumun]

Have money, fairly new Yoda truck and have been looking into Canadian R.E. since 2000. Wanna leave message? Huffmail me. And go to my profile to read what I had to say about Gary Hart's blog that some limp dick AXXED.
Some "people" just cannot handle the truth.

[Think82]

Biden voted against the Lieberman-Kyl amendment

[PeteChrisman]

Biden didn't come up with this brilliant plan--A Clean Break is an Israeli policy statement that was then written by PNAC (same people)--they planned this years ago

are you tired of these traitors selling out America for the CFR and AIPAC?

[CheGuevara1]

Oh look! An asshole with no clue.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Let's not jump to a misbegotten conclusion that the US Senate is AHEAD of any curve; this is the de facto solution gradually being arrived at BY THE IRAQIS.

In effect, this is a vote to abandon an administration policy that the Iraqis have already rejected.

Huzzah to Sen. Biden for seeing it coming two (?) years ago.

[Think82]

Biden 08 pleaseplea­sepleasepl­easeplease­please

[Rubiconski]

The death-knell of the republic had rung as soon as the active power became lodged in the hands of those who sought, not to do justice to all citizens, rich and poor alike, but to stand for one special class and for its interests as opposed to the interests of others.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT

[Rubiconski]

Only 19 Democrats voted No..amazing..!!

It makes me wanna cry....

I don't understand this at all.

Yesterday, Dick Durbin gets up and gives this long speech about how bad this amendment is... etc. etc.

TODAY he votes for it.

Huh?