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2008 Elections
Iraq: Democratic Candidates
Posted on Thursday October 25, 2007
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Sen. Joseph Biden
Tim, we're begging the question here. Everyone says there's no political -- there's no military solution, only a political solution. We offered a political solution today, and it got 75 votes. And it said -- it rejected fundamentally the president's position that there's a possibility of establishing a strong central government in Iraq and said we're going to have a federal system, bring in the rest of the world to support establishing a federal system. That will end the civil war. That will allow us to bring our troops home. That is the thing that will allow us to come home without leaving chaos behind.
Now, here's the deal. The deal is that to say that you are going to bring all troops home from the region -- I assume that's what you mean --
Just from Iraq. You're going to bring all troops home from Iraq. If in fact there is no political solution by the time I am president, then I would bring them out because all they are is fodder.
But -- but -- if you go along with the Biden plan that got 75 votes today and you have a stable Iraq like we have in Bosnia -- we've had 20,000 Western troops in Bosnia for 10 years. Not one has been killed -- not one. The genocide has ended. So it would depend on the circumstances when I became president.
I would make a commitment to have them all out if there is not a political reconciliation, because they're just fodder.
September 26, 2007
Transcript, Democratic Presidential Debate, Hanover, NH
Sen. Hillary Clinton
The roots of the many problems facing our men and women serving in Iraq were planted by the failure of this Administration to develop sound, realistic plans. We cannot afford to repeat the same mistake when our forces redeploy.
Redeploying out of Iraq will be difficult and requires careful planning. The Administration must provide a redeployment strategy that will keep our brave men and women safe as they leave Iraq.
October 4, 2007
Statement, Senate website
Sen. Christopher Dodd
Well, Tim, I -- the question is not just how you bring the troops out, but why are we there? As president of the United States, your first responsibility is to guarantee the safety and security of the American people. And so the question you must ask yourself as president: Is the continuation of our military presence enhancing that goal?
I happen to believe very strongly that this policy of ours, militarily (sic) involvement in Iraq, is counterproductive. We're less safe, less secure, more vulnerable and more isolated today as a result of the policy. So I believe that we ought to begin that process of redeployment here.
I would simultaneously engage in the kind of robust diplomacy that's been totally missing from this administration, to enhance our own interests in the region as well as to provide some additional security for Iraq. You can do this, Tim. Practically, it can be done, by military planners -- can tell you -- you can move a brigade to a brigade to a brigade and half, maybe even two a month out of Iraq. So the time frame we're talking about is critical.
But Congress has an obligation here. It's not enough that we just draft timetables. The Constitution gives the Congress of the United States a unique power, and that is the power of the purse. As long as we continue drafting these lengthy resolutions and amendments here, talking about timelines and dates, we're not getting to the fundamental power that exists in the Congress.
And that is to terminate the funding of this effort here, give us a new direction. As everyone who's looked at this issue over the last two or three years have concluded, there is no military solution here, and we need to do far more to protect our interests not only in that region, but throughout the world. We're not doing it with this policy.
On whether he’ll have troops out by January 2013…
I will get that done.
…Yes, I will, sir.
Well, I think we're going to have that opportunity over and over again in the coming days. There's going to be a request, I think, for something in the neighborhood of $200 billion that the administration's going to seek to continue to prosecute the war. So we'll have our chances to do it.
I think it's a little unrealistic to assume every single day you do that, Mike, but certainly you can do this when the opportunity arises.
And that, Tim, is the point I was trying to make to you at a moment ago here. We need to be understanding what powers exist in the institution of the Congress, those of us who serve there, and use that opportunity to do what the Constitution's given us. And that is to stop the funding. That's what we need to be doing.
Now look, I realize you may not get 60 votes or even 51 votes for this. But I think clarity and leadership are called for at this hour here. If you're going to seek the presidency of the United States and you're in a position today to do something about this, then it's -- in my view, it's the opportunity to stand up and lead on this issue, to bring this war, which is doing great damage to our country, to a halt. It's hurting our nation terribly, and it needs to be brought to a halt. The power of the purse allows you to do that.
September 26, 2007
Transcript, Democratic Presidential Debate, Hanover, NH
Former Sen. Mike Gravel
Well, the first thing, you stop the debate by voting every single day on cloture, every day, 20 days, and you'll overcome cloture. The president vetoes a law; it comes back to the Congress, and in the House at noon, every single day, you vote to override the president's veto. And in 40 days, the American people will have weighed in, put the pressure on those -- you tell me that the votes aren't there, you go get them by the scruff of the neck. That's what you do. You make them vote.
On if the candidates should suspend their campaigns for 40 consecutives to vote to end the war…
If it stops the killing, my God, yes, do it! And, Tim, you're really missing something. This is Fantasyland. We're talking about ending the war; my God, we're just starting a war right today. There was a vote in the Senate today -- Joe Lieberman, who authored the Iraq resolution, has offered another resolution, and it essentially a fig leaf to let George Bush go to war with Iran. And I want to congratulate Biden for voting against it, Dodd for voting against, and I'm ashamed of you, Hillary, for voting for it. You're not going to get another shot at this, because what's happened if this war ensues -- we invade and they're looking for an excuse to do it.
And Obama was not even there to vote.
September 26, 2007
Transcript, Democratic Presidential Debate, Hanover, NH
Former Sen. John Edwards
On whether statements regarding the war, made by Bill Richardson, were correct…
No, of course he’s not correct. They will—unless we’re going to close the embassy in Baghdad and have the only American embassy in the world that we provide no protection for, there’d have to be some troops in Baghdad for purposes of protecting the embassy. Now, what I’ve also said that is also ignored in that statement is that we do need to maintain quick reaction forces just outside of Iraq.
Now, there are some real differences between myself and Senator Clinton on this issue. I am not for maintaining troops—combat troops—inside Iraq, for a lot of reasons. I think number one, they’ll have a target on their forehead while they’re there. Number two, it continues the perception that America is occupying Iraq. What I would do instead is outside of Iraq, probably in Kuwait, maintain a quick reaction force. And that quick reaction force would be focused on the possibility of al-Qaeda operations, not terrorism at large. The problem with what I hear with Senator Clinton saying, and I’ve heard others say is when you talk about maintaining troops, combat troops inside Iraq, based there, and they’re focused on anti-terrorism activity within Iraq, that’s very similar to what President Bush says. It’s very hard to understand what—where that ends, where the limits are.
I do think we need to end this war in Iraq. I’m for getting our combat troops out of Iraq. I’m going to be responsible and protect the embassy like we do everywhere else in the world, but we will maintain a quick reaction force just outside of Iraq in Kuwait, so that if there are al-Qaeda—let me be very specific, not general terrorist activity. I mean, terrorist activity can include any sort of action against civilians and against the state. I’m talking specifically about public enemy number one, al-Qaeda, that’s responsible for a small percentage of the insurgent activity in Iraq.
…But I want to be really clear about something, Tim. I’m saying something very different than what Senator Clinton’s saying. Senator Clinton has said she will maintain troops inside Iraq, and that they will engage in combat operation, combat missions, I think is her term, inside Iraq. I will not do that. To me, that is a continuation of the war, and this war needs to be brought to an end. I do think that America, like we would anywhere else in the world, is focused on al-Qaeda, focused on public enemy number one, and we have to be ready to respond if they’re planning attacks inside Iraq, attacks against us or our embassy inside Iraq, or attacks outside of Iraq. We have to be prepared to respond to that, and that’s why I’d keep a quick reaction force in Kuwait. But I would not, as Senator Clinton would, keep combat troops inside Iraq and continue combat missions in Iraq.
I want to be able to say next fall, when I’m the Democratic nominee, and I’m standing with the Republican candidate, that Americans have a very clear choice. They can choose a Republican who wants to continue the war or a Democrat who wants to end the war. We can’t just be a little bit better than them. We have to be very clear that voters have choices in this election.
…I’m saying the same thing now I said in February. What I have said all throughout the course of this campaign is what we need to do and what the Congress needs to do is they need to force George Bush’s hand. I think the American people sent an absolutely clear mandate in November of 2006 that they expect the Congress to stand strong, to be firm. And the way for the Congress to do that is to ensure that every funding bill that goes to this president actually has a timetable for withdrawal. And if Bush vetoes that, they should send another bill for the timetable for withdrawal and they should stand their ground. There’s a difference between doing that, Tim, and just cutting off funding for the troops.
…If I were president, I would’ve already been bringing the troops out. If George Bush is still president, then he’ll be in the position of either having to sign the legislation, which means he’ll have to meet the timetable for withdrawal, or the money will dry up and he’ll have to start withdrawing troops out of Iraq. Either way, the Congress has done exactly what the American people asked them to do in November of 2006, which is what they should do.
… I do believe that there’s been some changes both in America and in the world. The war in Iraq is much worse than it was in 2003 and 2004, and it’s continued.
October 7, 2007
Transcript, “Meet the Press,” MSNBC
Rep. Dennis Kucinich
I not only voted against it, but I did an analysis five years ago that totally debunked the Bush case for war.
As a matter of fact, the analysis that I did was 100 percent spot-on in asserting that there was no proof that Iraq had the intention or capability of attacking the United States, that they had anything to do with 9/11 or al-Qaida's role in 9/11, and certainly there was no proof that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
My analysis was chapter and verse. And furthermore, it isn't -- you know, to me it's not sufficient to say that you said something against the war, but when you get to the Senate -- as Senator Obama did -- and voted 100 percent of the time, up until recently, to fund the war, there's a contradiction there.
… But today what's different is this, that not only did I reflect the capacity for judgment and wisdom at the moment of crisis when it really counts, but also today I have a plan that would bring our troops home and stabilize Iraq at the same time, and also leave Iraq in control of their oil.
It's embodied in H.R. 1234. It's a plan to end the Iraq war. I submitted versions of that plan immediately after the invasion, but today there are many people who talk about ending the war, but I have the plan to do it and a way to stabilize Iraq at the same time.
There's no one else who really has presented that awareness or who is saying, look, the privatization of Iraq's oil or the partition of Iraq is a path to continued war.
… you have to keep in mind that my plan calls for a parallel process. We end the occupation, close the bases, bring the troops home in parallel with an international security and peacekeeping force that moves in as our troops leave. I mean, that's the way you bring an end to the U.S. involvement in Iraq.
Otherwise, you have the plans of Senators Clinton, Obama, and Edwards, all of which will leave a U.S. presence in the region. And, frankly, we have to get out of there. We have to bring our troops home.
So, you know, I've been consistent on this. And I'm the only one running for president who's been right from the start on this issue and has demonstrated a quality of judgment that people have a right to expect in a president of the United States about matters of international security.
October 4, 2007
Transcript, “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” PBS
Sen. Barack Obama
On whether there will be troops in Iraq in January 2013…
I think it's hard to project four years from now, and I think it would be irresponsible. We don't know what contingency will be out there.
What I can promise is that if there are still troops in Iraq when I take office, which it appears there may be unless we can get some of our Republican colleagues to change their mind and cut off funding without a timetable, if there's no timetable, then I will drastically reduce our presence there to the mission of protecting our embassy, protecting our civilians and making sure that we're carrying out counterterrorism activities there.
I believe that we should have all our troops out by 2013, but I don't want to make promises not knowing what the situation's going to be three or four years out.
September 26, 2007
Transcript, Democratic Presidential Debate, Hanover, NH
Gov. Bill Richardson
I would set a timetable for withdrawal. I would couple that with a political solution of the three ethic groups forcing them to have a political solution. There is no military solution. Specifically, I would divide up the oil revenue, the cabinet ministries and force them to come up with a new political framework. I would also study Senator Biden's federation [proposal]. I think that may be ultimately the right solution.
… I would set up a Middle East peace conference that would deal with civil administration and reconstruction of Iraq.... Muslim and European nations would be part of that. I would then redeploy [US] troops, leave a residual force in Iraq [and] put [troops] where we really need them, [in] Afghanistan. I would put others in Gulf States to deal with international terrorism threats.
September 27, 2006
Article, “Bill Richardson,” Christian Science Monitor
