Supporters of Biden/Gelb plan

[PatSeg]

It is quite an extensive list and quite a few surprises. Peace, not just a liberal issue anymore:


FORMER SECRETARIES OF STATE IN SUPPORT OF THE BIDEN-GELB PLAN:
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
Former Secretary of State James Baker
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger

FOREIGN POLICY EXPERTS IN SUPPORT OF THE BIDEN-GELB PLAN:
Former Iraq Defense Minister Ali Allawi
Former UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke
Ambassador Dennis Ross, Counselor and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Ambassador Richard Haass, President Council on Foreign Relations
Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Yahia Said, Director, Iraq Revenue Watch
Ambassador Peter W. Galbraith
Dr. Ted Galen Carpenter, Vice President for Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, CATO Institute
Walter Russell Mead, Council on Foreign Relations
Anne Marie Slaughter, Dean of Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University
Eric Leaver, Institute for Policy Studies Research Fellow
Juan Cole, Middle East scholar and prominent blogger
David Phillips, Council on Foreign Relations, author of Losing Iraq

PUBLIC OFFICIALS IN SUPPORT OF THE BIDEN-GELB PLAN:
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico (D)
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN)
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN)
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, National Security Advisor of Iraq
Congressman Chris Van Hollen
Iowa House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy
Iowa House Assistant Majority Leader John Whitaker
Iowa State Rep. Doris Kelley
Rep. Lisa Heddens of Ames (assistant majority leader, Iowa house)
Rep. Mike Reasoner of Creston (assistant majority leader, Iowa house)
Rep. Dick Taylor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Jack Carter, the son of former President Jimmy Carter, and Democratic candidate, Nevada
New Hampshire officials:
State Representative-Elect Jim Webber (D-Kensington)
Former State Representative Scott Green
Sanbornton Town Democratic Chair Andy Sanborn
State Rep. Bill Hatch (D-Gorham)
Rep. Stephen Shurtleff (D-Penacook)
Eileen Foley, who served for 16 years as Mayor of Portsmouth
Bob Preston of Hampton, a former Democratic Leader of the New Hampshire State Senate
Joseph Russell, former Secretary of the Stratham Democrats
Representative Michael Marsh (D-Greenland)
New Hampshire State Representative and Police Sergeant Mark Preston
Manchester Fire Commissioner and New Hampshire State Representative Robert Haley
Detective Steve Arnold, former President of the New Hampshire Police Association

Former Clinton White House Public Affairs Director Bob Weiner

EDITORIAL PAGES AND COLUMNISTS IN SUPPORT OF BIDEN-GELB:
Tony Blankley, Washington Times
Michael Hirsh,
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Editorial Board
Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times columnist
David Brooks, New York Times
Philadelphia Inquirer, Editorial Board
David Broder, Washington Post columnist
Jackson Diehl, Washington Post columnist
David Ignatius, Washington Post columnist
Bill O’Reilly, Fox News
George Packer, The New Yorker
Portland Press Herald (ME) editorial board
Delaware News Journal editorial board
The Barre Montpelier Times Argus (VT) editorial board
St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board
The Journal Standard (IL) editorial board
Marilou Johanek, Toledo Blade (OH) columnist

More detailed explanations at:

http://planforiraq.com/praise

[Steve_in_California]

1. Ambassador Ryan Crocker . . .

testified before both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Armed Services Committee that Iraqi's are moving toward a de-centralized system based on federalism. This is the Biden-Gelb plan for Iraq and these concepts are embodied within the Iraqi Constitution. So, to the list above, we need to add Iraqi people themselves and Ambassador Crocker as well.

Here is a direct quote from Abassador Crocker, responding to a question posed by Senator Lugar.

"CROCKER: Thank you, sir. I'd make two general comments.

First, on what is going on or what may go on in Iraq, I would agree completely that we have to maintain an open mind, a minimum of preconceptions, an absence of U.S. models for what Iraq should be, and an awareness and readiness to respond to what may actually be happening on the ground that can take Iraq in a positive direction, whatever that may be.

The Iraq of the future will definitely not resemble the Iraq of 2003, and it may differ greatly from Iraq today.

There is decentralization going on there's no question. The role and power of governors and provincial councils, although not yet fully defined, is far in excess of what it ever has been. And I think that is a good thing.

So, the Iraqis, again, are going to need to debate these things for themselves at every level. And there have to be connections between the levels.

And that's what I was referring to in my statement when I noted that we're starting to see a more robust debate on what the nature of federalism is. And we're starting to see it among the Sunnis, which I think is a positive sign.

So I think things can very well move in that direction. And if and as they do, we need to be there to encourage positive direction"

Quotaion taken from transcript published by the Washington Post. Here is the link: http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/transcript_senate_hearing_on_iraq_091107.html

[PatSeg]

2. "The Iraqi people themselves"?

Are you implying that it is THEIR country? I suppose they think the oil is theirs as well!

It's convenient how the Iraqi people get left out of so many debates about the occupation and destruction of their country.

[gateley]

3. It's the plan that makes the most sense, and I think the other candidates

essentially have the same idea in mind to a certain extent (with their own tweaks and preferences). K&R

[Debi]

4. Other candidates have started embracing this plan and in fact incorporating it

into thier 'plans' - I wonder who will call 'plagerism' about that!

[PatSeg]

5. And we have a ZINGER!!!!

Good one Debi!!!

[jillan]

8. Go Debi!

:toast:

[ginchinchili]

6. Great post, tsegat01; a real eye opener

I guess I shouldn't be surprised because it sounds to me like the best possible approach to something so steeped in disaster, but I find myself surprised by a lot of these names and the volume of names.

No one simply "earns" the presidency, but it should be one of the many considerations when deciding on who to support. When I say "earn" I mean usually longevity spent fighting a good fight, but not to be limited to that. Life experiences come with the mix as well as how hard one works and boldness of ideas. Using this definition of earning the right to be president as one consideration, Joe Biden comes out on top of the Democratic pack, and the only rival he has among Republicans is John McCain, who lost a lot of credit by (a)turning around right after the 2000 election during which Bush cheated his way past him and embraced the US-poisoning little urchin and (b)his indefensible stand on Iraq.

But this is just one area in which Joe Biden has won my support. Of course, a big reason is that he stands the best chance of beating Rudy. Neither Hillary nor Obama can do it. Obama doesn't have enough experience at a time when our people feel genuinely threatened, and Hillary is too vehemently hated by Republicans, conservatives and moderates, as well as a majority of Independents.

Thanks for your post, tsegat01.

[PatSeg]

9. I have to give credit to Steve

He is the one who found this info and I just passed it along. I wouldn't want this to come up 20 years from now tarnishing my credibility!!!

I was really surprised, lets say shocked, at the diversity of the names on that list. This is yet another indication that Biden could win a general election and win in a landslide victory, giving him a real mandate to change course.

[jillan]

7. I am going to add that Biden also says that in addition

to this plan, we need to engage the support of the UN.

And that is something he has already initiated.

[Inuca]

10. As time passes, it will...

... become a de facto necessity. But also as time passes, it will become more and more difficult to do it in a controlled manner that has a decent chance to work while minimizing the killing fields. So the sooner, the better.

[zulchzulu]

11. What does the plan say about Production Sharing Agreements (PSA)?

Who implements the oil distribution? How are the PSAs set up? I can't find specifics in the plan.

Exxon, BP, Conoco, Hunt Oil and others want to view the Iraqi situation as a commercial enterprise. Biden even admits that the main purpose of his plan to to view Iraq's oil reserves as an international commercial enterprise.

Biden says it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcYr0rDur5c

Aside from telling the Iraqis where they should relocate, it was evident that with the recent failing of oil agreements that there is not really going to be a fair way to implement the plan unless the Iraqi government is replaced with pro-multinational oil company lackeys.

http://www.agi.it/world/news/200709131755-pol-ren0084-art.html