Senator Biden Issues Statement on President's Speech on Iraq

March 19, 2008 -- BIDEN: “This Administration Continues to Define Success in Iraq Downward. Treading Water Does Not Equal Progress.”

Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement after President Bush delivered a speech on Iraq:

“President Bush failed again today to address the question most Americans want answered: what is this Administration’s plan for ending the war?

“The surge has helped bring violence down, but when it ends, we will be right back where we started: with 130,000 troops in Iraq, with the country no closer to self-sustaining stability and with no end in sight for America.

“This Administration continues to define success in Iraq downward. Treading water does not equal progress. As we enter the sixth year of this war, we need to move forward with a sustainable political settlement in Iraq.

“Two years ago, I proposed a plan calling for a decentralized, federal system in Iraq, which would give its people local control over the fabric of their daily lives, including police, jobs, education and government services. A limited central government would be responsible for protecting Iraq’s borders and distributing its oil revenues. This plan has overwhelming bipartisan support in both Houses of Congress and it’s time for President Bush to act on it. It’s the only way, I believe, for us to leave Iraq without leaving chaos behind.”

Source: Senator Joe Biden

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