Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., received recognition Wednesday from fellow Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for his proposal to separate Iraq into three areas for Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis.
“There is not a single person out there, including all of my Democratic opponents, who want our troops to spend another day — another minute — in Iraq. And we’re getting out one way or the other. But what do we do when we leave and how we leave makes a big difference. It is going to matter and I have a political plan that gives us a way to leave without leaving chaos behind,” said Biden.
Obama brought up the plan during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Wednesday, saying: “The idea of a partition, of some sort, in Iraq, some sort of federal system that gave the Sunni, the Shia, the Kurds their own autonomy in their regions, is something that’s been talked about. … I had a long conversation with Les Gelb, who used to be the head of the Council on Foreign Relations, and who advised Biden on this plan. I think it may end up being the best solution. But here’s the thing: We can’t impose it on the Iraqis. The Iraqis have to make the decision themselves.”
Although his Iraq plan may have gotten a vote from Obama, Biden was out stumping for Democratic support this week in Iowa.
Biden, his wife Jill, two sons, his daughters-in-law and grandchildren stopped by the Iowa State Fair on Wednesday, a popular spot for the presidential candidates. The senator was the first to jump on the Des Moines Register’s ‘soapbox’ for a 20-minute speech mostly focused on the war in Iraq.
Biden also broke the news that his son Beau’s National Guard unit was notified of the possibility that it would be deployed to Iraq in 2008. A campaign spokesperson explained that his deployment is not definite and no date was set, but that his unit was notified that it should be prepared to leave. Beau is the attorney general of Delaware and a judge advocate general in the Delaware National Guard.
Biden spoke about his son’s National Guard role in an interview with Daily Show host Jon Stewart last week, taking a swipe at former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney comments about his son’s service.
On Friday and Saturday, Biden plans to sign copies of his book, “Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics,” at Borders in Davenport and Dubuque, Iowa. He intends to join other Democratic candidates this weekend in the ABC News/Iowa Democratic Party Debate in Des Moines.
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