According to Democratic Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), who is running for president in 2008, President George Bush is ignoring the advice of everyone regarding what to do about the "civil war" in Iraq, except for Vice President Dick Cheney who is "dead wrong."
"I said way back in November, last year, speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations, I said, does anyone support using American troops to fight a civil war," Biden said on Fox News Sunday. "I don't, and I don't think the American people do."
"But if we fail to force a political consensus, that's exactly what we will have," Biden continued. "That's what we have. That's what the president has to deal with."
The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee added, "And he's doing it the exact wrong way. And he's not listening to his military. He's not listening to his old secretaries of state. He's not listening to his old friends. He's not listening to anybody but Cheney. And Cheney is dead wrong."
Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, joined Biden this morning for the interview, which also touched upon Senator Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) chances at becoming the first female US president if she wins the Democratic primary race.
On Iraq, Levin said, "Well, this policy has been a failure right from the beginning. It was poorly thought out. It was poorly implemented. And deepening military involvement now is not the answer."
On whether Clinton had "too much baggage" to overcome, Levin said, "Oh, I don't think that's true. I think that we have a lot of candidates there that are able to not only win the nomination, but also win the election. I think there's a Democratic tide that is running in this country, for good reasons."
Clip from Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace:
Excerpts from transcript:
MR. WALLACE: Senator Levin, let me ask you about something that I hear from a lot of Democrats. That Senator Clinton can win the nomination, but she has too much baggage to be elected president.
SEN. LEVIN: Oh, I don't think that's true. I think that we have a lot of candidates there that are able to not only win the nomination, but also win the election. I think there's a Democratic tide that is running in this country, for good reasons.
I think six years of the Bush administration have given the people a lot of reasons to look for Democratic alternatives, and it's now up to us to really show what those alternatives are in the next two years in Congress, now controlled by Democrats. And I'm very confident that the strongest candidate will emerge. But we don't know who that Democrat is yet.
MR. WALLACE: All right. Let's turn to Iraq. Senator Levin, there is now at this point a scramble in the Senate to pass some resolution opposing the president's new troop increase in Iraq. The resolution that you and Senator Biden have co-authored says that it is not in the national interest to escalate the U.S. military presence in Iraq.
But the fact is, that in recent days there has been a bit of good news from Iraq. We've seen people loyal to Muqtada al Sadr arrested. The Iraqis are reportedly sending more troops into Baghdad, and we now have this draft constitutional amendment that would provide for a compromise, the federal government doling out oil revenues.
Senator Levin, aren't you rushing to write off a policy that in fact at least has a chance of succeeding?
SEN. LEVIN: Well, this policy has been a failure right from the beginning. It was poorly thought out. It was poorly implemented. And deepening military involvement now is not the answer. Perhaps these recent events may prove it's not deepening military involvement that is needed. It is a political solution which is needed in Iraq. There is no way to end this violence without it. These recent events, it seems to me, prove that you can make some political progress, perhaps, without deepening military involvement by the United States.
But I'll tell you, Chris, even the prime minister of Iraq has acknowledged that it is the failure of the political leaders in Iraq that are the cause of this violence. And without their coming together, there is no end to it. So, what we got to do is keep the pressure on the Iraqis to reach a political settlement and not deepen our military involvement, which adds targets, but it doesn't add much in the way of pressure.
As a matter of fact, it takes the Iraqis off the hook in terms of putting pressure on them. Because it tells them somehow or other that our adding forces is a way to solve their political problems, when it really isn't. Only they can solve it.
MR. WALLACE: Last week, Vice President Cheney was here on "Fox News Sunday," and he said a resolution like the one the two of you are introducing sends exactly the wrong message. Let's watch.
VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY: (From videotape.) We simply go back and revalidate the strategy that Osama bin Laden has been following from day one. That if you kill enough Americans, you can force them to quit. That we don't have the stomach for the fight.
MR. WALLACE: Senator Biden, I know that this is not your intent, but in fact, wouldn't your resolution send a message that would emboldened our enemy and discourage our troops in the field?
SEN. BIDEN: Absolutely not. And not only does Carl Levin and Joe Biden and Senator Hagel and Senator Snowe, the joint chiefs of staff, the Iraqi Study Group, every single person out there that is of any consequence thinks, knows the vice president doesn't know what he's talking about. I can't be more blunt than that. He has yet to be right one single time on Iraq. Name me one single time he's been correct. It's about time we stop listening to that ideological rhetoric, and that bin Laden and the rest. Bin Laden isn't the issue here. Bin Laden will become the issue. The issue is, there is a civil war, Chris.
I said way back in November, last year speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations, I said, does anyone support using American troops to fight a civil war. I don't, and I don't think the American people do. But if we fail to force a political consensus, that's exactly what we will have. That's what we have. That's what the president has to deal with. And he's doing it the exact wrong way. And he's not listening to his military. He's not listening to his old secretaries of State. He's not listening to his old friends. He's not listening to anybody but Cheney. And Cheney is dead wrong.
According to Democratic Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), who is running for president in 2008, President George Bush is ignoring the advice of everyone regarding what to do about the "civil war" in Iraq, except for Vice President Dick Cheney who is "dead wrong."