Astonishing display of rationality by Republicon senator

[pscot]

It is disconcerting to find a Republican making sense. It causes a dizzying cultural dissonance. But there it was, on Cspan-2. Sam Brownback just endorsed the Biden proposal for partioning Iraq (or something very like it). He put up a map of Iraq as it existed before WW1, and then compared modern Iraq with the former Yugoslavia, making use of before and after maps. He praised the effectiveness of the Yugoslav partition, a tacit endorsement of Bill Clinton's foreign policy. He suggested the Yugoslav partition as a model for Iraq.

The principal objection to the idea of partition seems to be that we have no right to tell Iraquis how to settle their differences. We've got to let them work it out themselves. But the analogy with Yugoslavia is a sound one. Working it out themselves seems to mean slaughter and ethnic cleansing. WE forced a solution on the various Yugoslav factions by locking them in a room in Dayton Ohio and forcing it down their throats. "But the Iraquis don't want their country divided", the critics say. If that is truely the case there is nothing to prevent a loosely confederated Irag from deciding to work together to form "a more perfect union". In the meantime it has the potential to stop the killing aand give all parties a chance to move toward a resolution of their differences. As Joe Biden said, if you've got a better idea, put it out there.

[Burma Jones]

1. A broken clock is right twice a day.........n/t

[bryant69]

2. How much of the violence created by secterian tension and

how much is caused by our continued presence and our support of the Iraqi government?

Don't know if there is a good answer to that question.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[pscot]

12. I'ld like to beieve that iff we pull out

the Iraquis will all make nice, settle up their differences and live happily ever after. And the lion may lie down with the lamb.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Sam is my senator

He is a frootloop. Don't trust him. Not in the least.

[Jed Dilligan]

4. Works fairly well in Cyprus too

I wouldn't oppose it. The Brits were extra-bad at drawing borders, I think because they believed permanent instability would allow them to continue to exploit the colonies commercially without the administrative costs.

[Selatius]

5. Answering the objection is easy. Simply establish a referendum and let Iraqis vote on partition.

Rather than impose it top-down on the people inside Iraq, give the people a choice, and they can self-impose on themselves a partition plan. In such a referendum, the vote would have to affirm or deny the idea of a partition plan.

If they affirm, tribal, political, and religious leaders in conjunction with UN negotiators would have to hammer out the new borders. More importantly, they must decide on how all the oil revenue generated in Iraq will be divided among the constituent nations. Another question is whether oil fields will be privatized or whether they will become national property of the constituent nation the oil field is in.

[rox63]

6. He may be right on this one issue

But keep in mind that he doesn't believe in evolution. So I agree that he is a nutcase. But he just happens to have a reasonable position on this bill.

[pscot]

7. Republicon displays of lucidity are so unusual

that I thought this one was worth comment. Besides, I think Biden's idea is a good one.

[rodeodance]

8. over that last few I am warming up to this idea. The Iraqi have only been told

over and over that they want a 'unity' gov. After a while it becomes commonsense' and is taken for granted that is the only way to think of a gov.

[mainegreen]

9. Yeah, well let's see how Turkey, and Syria react to that proposal. n/t

[Javaman]

10. The battery died on his shock bracelet.

when ever they try to speak rationally, they get a little jolt.

[Squatch]

11. "we have no right to tell Iraqis how to settle their differences"

Are Kurdish people Iraqi?

[karynnj]

14. Some are, some aren't

There are Kurds in Turkey, Iran and Iraq. This proposal does not create independent countries - it creates a federal form of government where the states are strong and the federal government weak. The reason I have heard that they are pushing this is that at this point it is clear that they haven't succeeded in creating a strong federal government type of government or of having moved to create any other form of government.

I think that the idea of a regional conference that would have helped them move to some form of government on their own would have been the far better solution - but the hatred caused by the violence may make that less and less likely to work. It is also not clear Bush could do that at this point.

Now, it seems they want to do anything that can change the dynamic so we can get out.

[madfloridian]

13. Amazing how we consider it natural now to divide up other countries...

and make it sound like a good idea. Build those big concrete walls between them in the dark of the night. It's all ok now.

We are ok with it now.

Amazing.

[WinkyDink]

15. I've had the same thought myself, about the "Red States".

[TwilightGardener]

16. Sammy B. latched onto it to help his Prez bid. Fetus-Man hasn't impressed

me with foreign policy knowledge otherwise.