That chance may already be gone
Last Chance for an Alliance
By Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Sunday, April 4, 2004; Page B07
…While we must end the appearance of occupation, it is equally clear that Iraq will need a neutral referee, and tens of thousands of foreign troops for many years to keep these growing political tensions from ripping the country apart.
Instead, the Bush administration's current plan is to have a new U.S. ambassador call all the shots, at the risk that Iraqis will think the occupation has not really ended on June 30.[P6: Hey, AMERICANS won't think the occupation is ended.] Indeed, we will be going from the CPA -- which at least has some international flavor -- to an exclusively American operation with a "Super-Embassy."
Our goal should be to take the "American face" off the occupation so that we are not blamed for everything that doesn't go right in Iraq. Without a strategy to broaden the coalition, the American people will question a policy that requires them to continue to pay nearly 90 percent of the costs in blood and treasure for Iraq's security and reconstruction.
Of course, I'm not the one that has to know, but I can't think of a single nation in a position to be of real assistance that has motivation to help. I can think of a few politicians…
