http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/05/joe-biden-the-surge-is-a_n_95221.html
WA****NGTON — A leading Democrat on Saturday declared last year's troop
buildup in Iraq a failure.
Sen. Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said
the
military push didn't
succeed because U.S. troops remain committed there in large numbers and
political reconciliation
has not been achieved. "The purpose of the surge was to bring violence in
Iraq down so that its
leaders could come together politically," said Biden, D-Del., in this
week's
Democratic radio
address. "Violence has come down, but the Iraqis have not come together."
He
later added, "There
is little evidence the Iraqis will settle their differences peacefully any
time soon." Biden
offered an early rebuttal to next week's testimony by Gen. David Petraeus,
the top military
commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador there. Petraeus
and
Crocker are expected
to say the recent buildup in troops has succeeded in improving security.
But
they also likely
will say that a period of *****sment is needed this summer before
officials
can decide whether
troop withdrawals can continue. Democrats have called this approach
unacceptable and said they
would pursue an alternative policy through legislation. They said their
focus will be on
restoring the strength of the Army and Marines and refocusing the nation's
resources on fighting
terrorists in Afghanistan. "I believe the president has no strategy for
success in Iraq," Biden
said. "His plan is to muddle through, and hand the problem off to his
successor." Republicans say
they are satisfied with the recent drop in violence and that more time is
needed to improve the
situation there.
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