April 28, 2007
THERE IS NO IROQUOISTAN:
Joe Biden is Dead Right on Iraq: He may not have a prayer of becoming president. But the six-term Democratic senator from Delaware is the only presidential candidate talking sensibly about Iraq. (Michael Hirsh, 4/26/07, Newsweek)
Biden...has been on the record for a year with a fully thought-out vision for Iraq that offers a real alternative to the bleak choice we’re getting from everyone else. Let’s face it, the “debate” pits the Bush administration’s model-democracy delusion against the Democrats’ let’s-just-get-out state of denial. The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee—far and away the most experienced foreign-policy hand among the Democratic candidates—has proposed a quasi-partition plan that actually does reflect the bloody reality emerging on the ground. His scheme calls for dividing Iraq into three or more separate regions held together by a loose central government, thus clearing the way for withdrawing most U.S. troops by 2008. It’s a solution, not a surrender, and it’s what they used to call realpolitik.
Actually, it's an excellent illustration of the delusional nature of the Realists that they imagine the 80% of Iraq that is under attack would tolerate a state in their midst for the 20% of attackers. Posted by Orrin Judd at April 28, 2007 8:52 AM
Is it up to us to partition Iraq in any ways and forms? The Iraqis are working on a workable federal system. Those things take time. To say democracy is delusional is to say the Iraqis need to subjugate themselves to another Saddam, or a few Saddam-lights. Democracy is messy. It took us about a hundred years to settle down after our independence.
Posted by: ic at April 28, 2007 12:51 PMRight, my thought too.
What makes Biden think that the US has the right or authority to just divide up another country? Talk about imperialist!!
Posted by: ray at April 28, 2007 1:09 PMRight and right. Since the final solution is the creative destruction of the entire jailhouse,the last thing we wish is for them to stop grinding themselves up. We want them to reform their sorry butts.
The removal of the Baath regime was only the first step. It took the lid off the chaos inherent in that entire system. Freedom is toxic to them.
Posted by: Lou Gots at April 28, 2007 3:59 PM20%? Maybe before the war, but from what I've read, the Sunnis are now closer to 10%, and aren't the majority anywhere except some towns and neighborhoods in big cities, which means partition won't solve the Sunni/Shiite conflict.
Posted by: PapayaSF at April 28, 2007 4:10 PMFreedom certainly destroyed Europe. The Shi'a have sense enough to void it.
Posted by: oj at April 28, 2007 6:35 PMMr. Hirsh is a right proper imperialist, isn't he? He'll tell the Iraqis precisely how their land will be paritioned up - and he'll finish before tea time, too!
Posted by: Mikey![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://brothersjuddblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at April 29, 2007 7:17 AM
So it was OK for us to have 13 states within a Federal Republic but not OK for Iraq to have three? Should we prevent them from partitioning if they see it as their initial solution?
Perhaps the posted article on Ukraines' experience would be worth revisiting.
Posted by: Genecis at April 29, 2007 9:57 AMPrevent them partioning? No, it's their land; they may do as they wish with it.
Posted by: Mikey at April 29, 2007 12:03 PM
If one of the colonies had been predominately Sunni we wouldn't have admitted it as a state. we killed and concentration camped the Indians.
Posted by: oj at April 29, 2007 1:01 PMBiden has been in the senate for 36 years!
Posted by: erp at April 29, 2007 5:31 PM