Sen. Biden was doing a quick meet and greet during Concord Market Days and was asked several questions by local citizens about disarmament, worker safety laws and Iraq. I specifically asked the senator about how he would solve the Iraq problem given that the Bush administration has shown itself to be incompetent and immediate withdrawal would create only further chaos in the region. I wanted to know how he, as a Democrat when so many Democrats are failing to offer a viable solution, would bring peace to Iraq.
Sen. Biden responded at length with enthusiasm. He gave a five point plan that he has been pushing throughout the media - unbeknownst to me at the time - go to http://uniteourstates.com/about/pages?id=0032 for more info directly from Biden's site).
Essentially, his points can be summarized to this: One, decentralize the power in Iraq and create more autonomy for each ethnic group. Two, guarantee the Sunnis 20% of the oil revenues to alleviate the fact that their region (central Iraq) has so little oil. Three, tie US financial support to rights for women and minorities. Four, create a concrete plan for withdrawal of US troops. And five, "under an international or United Nations umbrella, we should convene a regional conference to pledge respect forIraq's borders and its federal system."
Biden seems to vary a little bit on these five specific points, but these are essentially what appears to be his answer to my question.
When I pointed out that security was the number one issue preventing Iraqis from moving forward Biden responded that we should be focusing on getting infiltrators out of the Iraqi forces.
The senator was certainly warm and friendly, even when being aggressively questioned on how to fix the problem and that I needed him to be more blunt with his answer (he took several minutes explaining his plan). Unfortunately, there wasn't time for me to fully explain why I thought he wasn't answering my question.
I can see that he's trying to create a road map. However, there needs to be a step one - how to improve security so that Iraqis can feel safe and move forward. His answer about government forces being infiltrated might be valid, but it didn't answer my question.
US troops have several inherent problems that need to be addressed that directly impact the security issue. These need to be addressed as part of the solution.
US troops don't know the language, don't really understand the culture and customs, and they weren't trained for a guerilla war with civilians caught in the middle. Even the US military admits that, according to their records, one Iraqi civilian was shot every day in 2005. And these are only the incidents they're willing to acknowledge.
Any solution regarding security must address the fact that US troops can't immediately leave, but at the same time they're not the best option for creating that security. Thus, what I wanted to hear from Biden - or any candidate for that matter - is how to create a multinational force in Iraq while at the same time keeping the peace and helping to create a national identity and independence for Iraqi civilians.
Sen. Biden's campaign has promised to get back to me about this issue. I'll keep readers posted.
See the Concord Monitor to see what they had to say about this exchange: http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060722/REPOSITORY/607220334
Also, the Boston Globe reported on other questions Biden was asked: http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2006/07/21/biden_says_shuffling_primary_foolhardy_and_mistake/
Both articles mention the bird-dogs who challenged Biden - more proof that the simple act of asking a question makes waves!
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