DISQUS

desmoinesdem · 2 years ago

I agree--Biden and Richardson are running similar types of campaigns, competing for the same type of voters. I expect them and their surrogates to become increasingly direct about criticizing the other's plan for Iraq in particular.

Stephen Cassidy · 2 years ago

Biden's Plan For Iraq Keeps the U.S. At War for Years to Come Biden is knowledgeable on foreign affairs but has he ever negotiated with foreign leaders and reached deals?  Sitting on US Senate Foreign Relations Committee conducting hearing in Washington, D.C. and occasionally traveling abroad is far different than serving as US Ambassador to the UN and negotiating daily with leaders from across the globe.  Richardson stands head and shoulders above Biden in foreign policy experience. 

Keeping over 20,000 troops in Iraq as Biden advocates just means that the tens of thousands of insurgents and militia forces in Iraq will have a much easier time killing our troops.  They can concentrate all of their forces on a much smaller number of U.S. troops.

It was arrogance that got the U.S. into Iraq in the first place - which Biden voted for - and Biden continues to show arrogance.  The Iraqis have no interest in Biden's proposed partition.  It's their nation, not ours.

And Biden wants to spend billions more on Iraq, even more than what Bush is asking for: http://www.thenation...

Richardson gets on Iraq, Biden doesn't.  Our troops have become the targets of all sides in a civil war that we are stuck in the middle of and aren't in any position to end.  It's time to leave Iraq now. 

The candidate with the best plan for Iraq is Richardson because: 1) he call for a total withdrawal of U.S. forces and 2) Richardson has the foreign policy experience and expertise to wage the diplomatic offensive that will be necessary in conjunction with a US withdrawal.