Biden, Brownback's big press day

Daniel Schlafer — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 19:57:52 GMT

Two minor Presidential/not soo minor Senators offer a reasoned three state solution in Iraq ? If media helps it could be a major promise of solution in Iraq ! We can thank our English relatives for drawing modern day Iraq in 1920's. They left in 1932, with a Kingdom in place. A Kingdom of 3 non-related areas. The Kingdom became a republic, then Saddam emerged from the Baathist Party in 1979. I imagine the three state solution would be a fourty-fourty-twenty deal, which is fair.

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Lmordini,Des Moines, IA — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 00:20:28 GMT

If 98 senators made it to the vote, I find it hard to believe that Senator Obama didn't receive enough notice. Joe Biden leads by example and his actions show the is duties in the senate take priority over his campaigning. Joe had to miss a book signing and several campaign events for important vote. It is a matter of priority and conviction. Joe Biden has supreme character.

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Steve Fallon — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 09:35:00 GMT

Some of Obama’s supporters are voicing sharp objections to Senator Biden’s criticism of Obama’s having failed to show up to vote on the Biden-Brownback-Boxer amendment. The thrust of their criticism seems to be that Biden is misrepresenting the situtation, saying Obama missed the vote when, according to these unhappy folks, the vote had been postponed and Obama could not get back to the Senate in time to cast his vote when it came up for a vote unexpectedly.

Problem is, with a vote of 75 to 23, it’s more than obvious that 98 United States Senators knew to be there to vote and thought it important enough to wait around for. Only Obama and John McCain decided to bolt.

Another problem for Obama’s supporters is that Obama is developing quite a bad habit of ignoring his responsibilities as a U.S. Senator so he can go out and play the “audacity of hope” game on the campaign trail. The candidate who touts himself as running against the way Washington does business is picking a peculiar and unprofessional way to demonstrate that principle in action by consistently failing to show up for work. Just since July, Senator Obama has missed 15 important votes in the Senate . . . and . . . here they are:

Senator Barack Obama’s voting record reveals he failed to vote on 15 important bills in only the past 3 legislative months.

October-2007
10/03/2007 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations NV

10/01/2007 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 NV

Sept-2007
09/27/2007 State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization NV

09/26/2007 Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Federalism in Iraq NV

09/26/2007 Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps NV

09/20/2007 Expressing Support for General Petraeus and All Members of the Armed Forces NV

09/10/2007 Bridge Repair Funding NV

09/07/2007 Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants NV

09/06/2007 Prohibiting U.S. Assistance for Groups that Support Coercive Abortion NV

July-2007 (note the Senate was in recess for most of August 2007)
07/26/2007 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act NV

07/26/2007 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations NV

07/26/2007 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations NV

07/26/2007 REAL ID Funding NV

07/20/2007 Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants NV

07/19/2007 Sense of the Senate on Guantanamo Bay Detainees NV

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Steve Fallon — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 09:52:34 GMT

Clinton's gas-tank is filled with Bush fuel.

It could not be any more obvious . . . the tidal wave of cash that swept Bush in to the White House, from people who could not care less about ideologies and whose only focus is maintaining power and wealth, read the handwriting on the wall and knew it was time to back a corruptible Democrat. These dominating forces,---the wall street crowd and the big oil people--which have always remained in the shadows of our government, found a more than willing "front-man" in Hillary Clinton, whose own opportunistic greed and shameless ambition make her the perfect foil for monied interests.

Make no mistake about it, the statements made by Karl Rove, to the effect that Hillary will be the Dems nominee, were not designed, as many believe, to draw away her support. They were designed solely to make people believe that was the intent. Rove actually wants Hillary to win, because the same money backing her also backed Bush and company.

All the Clinton candidacy truly demonstrates is how easy it is to get people to follow you if you simply change hats.

Hillary Clinton has no intention of ending the war in Iraq. Every word she utters in "nuanced" to give people whatever impression they may hope to draw from what she says.

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Pat Morrison, Easley, SC — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:10:20 GMT

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Steve Turner Cedar Falls Iowa — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 14:13:09 GMT

Hey, isn't America divided into fifty states and held together by a desensitized federal government? What's the big deal about making Iraq do something different?

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Mike Cheverie Watertown, MA — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:01:21 GMT

It is nice to see serious candidates finally getting recognized. I think candidates like Biden, Brownback and I would throw McCain into that circle that know the only way to get things done in Washington is by bipartisanship. Unfortunately it is the candidates who do more mudslinging who usually garner more of our attention.

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Molly, Iowa City — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:21:46 GMT

it's rare that either of the two candidates draw jostling crowds of reporters here in Iowa, let alone a cable news satellite truck parked near the entrance to one of their events.

Yes, it is rare, which is why the national news, and to a lesser, but not much lesser extent the local news, has no clue of the number of people turning out to listen to and question Sen. Biden at events in Iowa. This happened in 03 with Kerry and Edwards. The press failed to understand Iowa "likely caucus goers" polls are invalid with respect to caucus goers candidate preference, because 80% of those polled are not caucus goers. In 03 the press covered Gephardt and Dean and for the most part failed to cover Kerry and Edwards, because they believed statistical invalid polls. Had they spent a bit more time covering all the candidates in 03 (and today) and talking to actual Iowans, not local legislators who have endorsed a front runner, or local reporters who weren't covering all candidates either, they would have picked up on the increased support, and larger groups of caucus goers attending Kerry and Edwards events. But the press failed to do so in 03, leading up to the 04 caucus, and they are repeating their mistake today.

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Jillian, Chandler, Az — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 05:47:38 GMT

Biden is everyone's 2nd choice. It's just a matter of time before his numbers explode.

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Steve Fallon — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:11:52 GMT

Senator Obama is living up to his rhetoric. He tells his audiences that he is the candidate who is running against the way Washington does things. And you have to admire the way in which Obama demonstrates his contempt for Washington in general and the United States Senator in particular.

. . . Yeah, he's demonstrating that he is running against the way Washington does things by not showing up for work!

Senator Barack Obama's voting record reveals he failed to vote on 15 important bills in only the past 3 legislative months.

October-2007
10/03/2007 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations NV

10/01/2007 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 NV

Sept-2007
09/27/2007 State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization NV

09/26/2007 Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Federalism in Iraq NV

09/26/2007 Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps NV

09/20/2007 Expressing Support for General Petraeus and All Members of the Armed Forces NV

09/10/2007 Bridge Repair Funding NV

09/07/2007 Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants NV

09/06/2007 Prohibiting U.S. Assistance for Groups that Support Coercive Abortion NV

July-2007 (note the Senate was in recess for most of August 2007)
07/26/2007 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act NV

07/26/2007 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations NV

07/26/2007 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations NV

07/26/2007 REAL ID Funding NV

07/20/2007 Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants NV

07/19/2007 Sense of the Senate on Guantanamo Bay Detainees NV

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Lee Holmes — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:54:30 GMT

Easy Steve: The fact remains that our system relies upon a strong central government that is overseen by hundreds of thousands of federal laws at all levels. From the water that we drink,to the highways we drive upon,to the cars that we drive to the food that we eat. It is all-pervasive,engaging even thought.
Pass to Iraq,and even Biden advocates rather,a weak centralized government. More and more Iraqis are solidly opposed to Bidens scheme[including the authors of the Iraq Study Group Report]. It has little chance of success while stong outside players including Iran continue to be unconfronted regarding Iraqs future. Turkey,always a nemesis to the fortunes of an independant Kurdistan,becomes a newer player over the fortunes of Iraq now emboldened by anti-Americanism in the wake of the ill-thought out Armenian genocide resolution just passed by the House. If the Democrats played a dumb hand,we will find out soon enough.

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Stacy S. Medford OR — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:37:04 GMT

Lee, the plan that Senator Biden is talking about (or as you call it: scheme) is based on the Iraqi constitution and has historically proven to succeed (see Bosnia).

As Senator Biden is quoted to say, "What's your plan?”

If you take the time to actually read the plan (planforiraq.com), you will find out that this is not a plan that “partitions” or “divides” their country. It simply allows for local control of the everyday lives of the folks that live in a given area. Iraq is already, for the most part, divided along sectarian lines. This is why the same approach that was used in Bosnia will again likely succeed here.

The truth of the matter is that it will take a POLITICAL reconciliation to bring peace to Iraq. For reasons only they can appreciate, the parties in Iraq have 1000’s of years of hatred to overcome before the type of democracy that the neo-cons wanted to put in place can take hold. Democracy is of the people and by the people, not something you can force-feed through an outside military power.

Allowing the parties local control while still providing for shared oil revenue and border security is the only sensible plan I have heard since this war began.

Again, if you don’t like this plan, then what is yours?

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Leslie, Georgia — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:13:10 GMT

Molly - I sure hope you are right about the Iowa caucus attendees. Biden is the best candidate for the job, but without a strong showing in Iowa the rest of the country is going to write him off and throw in with one of the front leaders. Such a shame.

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Tod Kimmelshue, Chico, CA — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:18:07 GMT

Finally a couple of guys using their brains to come up with a solution. I like it! It makes sense and could end the constant violence in Iraq. No one knows more or has more experience in the foreign relations business than Joe Biden! I think we need to listen to his ideas.

Biden, Brownback's big press day

Joan Gordon, Santa Barbara, CA — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 06:36:04 GMT

Don't go, Joe! If you can make it to the California primary we'll put you over the top!