When Senator Biden Opens His Mouth...

Senator Biden expresses his opinion of the Indian-American community in his home state, Delaware.

On June 2006, Senator Joseph Biden made the news with his racist remarks about the Indian Americans living in Delaware. He told an Indian-American supporter, "You CANNOT go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent ... I'm not joking." To say the least, the Indian-American community wasn't pleased with his remarks:

"Senator Biden will be surprised to hear that I am a cardiothoracic surgeon, leading a national association of Indian Americans who are physicians, attorneys, and small business owners. It's amazing to know we don't all work at Dunkin Donuts or the local 7/11. The contributions to America by Indian Americans in the fields of medicine, education, science, and business have been well-documented. We're not asking Senator Biden to apologize for his embarrassing, stereotypical comments. However, we do appreciate knowing what he really thinks of his Indian American constituents in Delaware," he [Dr. Vijay] said in the release.

On January 2007, Senator Biden expressed another opinion. This time toward Senator Barack Obama. He said, "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man." Senator Obama replied politely to the Senator Biden's comment:

He called me," Obama said. "I told him it wasn't necessary. We have got more important things to worry about. We have got Iraq. We have got health care. We have got energy. This is low on the list."

"He was very gracious and I have no problem with Joe Biden," Obama added.

Later on Wednesday, Obama, in a written statement, said "I didn't take Sen. Biden's comments personally, but obviously they were historically inaccurate. African-American presidential candidates like Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, Carol Moseley Braun and Al Sharpton gave a voice to many important issues through their campaigns, and no one would call them inarticulate."

Around September 2006, Senator Biden hit the airwaves to talk about his vision for Iraq. NPR describes his plan in a nutshell:

September 29, 2006. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) talks about his plan for a decentralized Iraq, divided along ethnic and religious lines -- a Kurdish area to the north, and the rest divided between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

So I wasn't really surprised when the Senator from Delaware proposed a bill to divide Iraq into three regions. Again, I wasn't surprised when the bill passed the Senate. Always remember, Washington is run by politicians who voted for the war in Iraq, want to get re-elected and/or are running for President. Senator Biden matches the whole criteria.

Iraqi journalist and friend Mayada Al-Askari put it best in her latest article:

Partitioning Iraq is not a workable solution, even Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki rejected it saying that the US Senate should stand by Iraq to solidify its unity and sovereignty.

Today we have one Iraq, with one Kurdish autonomous region. The Kurdish region is continuously harassed by Turkey and Iran. And when they are threatened, the Kurds run to the central government, which runs to the Americans, and the Americans take matters into their hands, wave their stick at Turkey and another mission is accomplished.

So can we imagine what will happen if we have three parts of Iraq instead of one? We will have three major headaches instead of one.

What amazes me most about this plan is the ignorance of Senate. Theoretically, Iraq is a sovereign country -- at least on paper. But when it comes to what's wrong and right for Iraqis, the American politicians suddenly become the most knowledgeable folks in town.

How about leaving this decision for the Iraqi people? If they want to divide their country into 20 regions, then its their decision. If they want to keep it as one country, then it's their decision too. If you want to be more appealing to the Iraqi people, at least call it Federalism. You may get some sympathy from the Iraqi people.

---

Related Links:

Mayada Al-Askari: Don't partition Iraq.
Audio: Sen. Biden: Divide Iraq into Three Regions.
Biden's description of Obama draws scrutiny.
Sen. Biden Lands in Hot Water with Remarks About Indians and 7-11.