Biden: GOP May Split on Iraq After Election
Oct. 6, 2006 — -- The bleak characterization of the situation in Iraq that Republican John Warner made Thursday could be only the first such call by ranking Republicans for a possible change of course in Iraq in the months to come, according to a Democratic senator, who says Republicans have confided in him.
Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware., the senior Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters today that at least two Republicans, in addition to Warner, have said privately that they will come out more forcefully against the White House strategy in Iraq.
Don't expect any bombshells this week or next, though. Both of the senators who have apparently confided in their Democratic colleague told him they will wait until after the Nov. 7 elections. Biden did not name the senators. He did say that Warner is not one of them.
"Two leading Republican senators have come to me," Biden said. He said they told him, "'Joe, I am getting beat up by my team.'"
Biden said after the election, "the need to protect the president will be nonexistent" and Republicans will be freer to break with the White House and call for change in Iraq.
No Agreement on What to Do Next
Warner, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Thursday for "bold action" and a "change of course" if there is no change in Iraq in the next 60 to 90 days, saying the fledgling Iraqi government is not meeting its basic responsibilities.
Biden made his remarks in a conference call following Warner's comments from yesterday, and restated his own five-point plan for improving the situation in Iraq.
But Warner and Biden seem to disagree markedly on what to do next. Warner did not define what he meant by "bold action" but did say that retreat would be a boon to terrorists and a waste of the American investment of money and blood in Iraq.
Biden's plan involves bringing in more support from nations that neighbor Iraq, drawing Sunnis into the political fold by sharing oil revenues with them and drawing down U.S. troops.
Midterm Election May Bring Change, Regardless
Biden also said that even if Democrats don't win control of the Senate, the looming midterm election could mean a change of course in Iraq.
"I don't think the Democrats have to win control," Biden said. "But if the Democrats pick up four or five seats or six seats in the Senate but don't win the majority, that will still be read by you in the press as in part a refutation of the president's policy of stay the course."
Biden had disparaging words for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney, whom he called "the two leftover hardass realpolitik guys" in the administration.
"If one of you write the book in two years, I will not be surprised if you report that Rumsfeld and Cheney believed all along there was no way to win this war," Biden said, characterizing the White House strategy as "'don't lose on our watch.' They want a Democratic president to make the ugly decision they haven't made."