Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Delaware Sen. Joe Biden flexed his foreign policy muscles while tweaking his Democratic rivals at a stop in Grinnell, Iowa, today. In front of a packed crowd (upwards of 60 people) at Café Phoenix, a popular restaurant in the small town, Biden said that while everyone seems to agree that “there is no military solution to Iraq,” he is the only candidate who has come up with the political solution.
Others have offered tactical solutions, like “draw down, raise up, move around,” he said, that were “fundamentally flawed.” Biden said he was part of a “quality field” but that the other Democrats’ proposals to withdraw U.S. forces while maintaining a centralized Iraqi government were not workable. “It’s not a political solution,” he said. “It’s a dream.” Any attempts at a strong central government were “doomed to fail,” he said. “Not in the lifetime of anyone in this room will you see a centralized democratic government in Iraq.” He also criticized his Democratic counterparts for failing to appear with him at an Iraq-only debate.
Biden said there are only four ways to end cycles of sectarian strife. The United States could occupy the country for generations, which he said is “not us.” The United States could install a dictator, which he said would be the “ultimate irony.” The United States could pick a side to fight on and wipe out the other, but that would be immoral, he said. Or the groups could be separated and allowed to co-exist in a federal system, which is the foundation of his plan. He also said it was important to involve the international community, who would participate, he said, not to help out the United States, but because of self-interest — Europe doesn’t need a radicalized Muslim population, he said.
His speech mostly focused on the Iraq War, arguably the No. 1 issue of the day and the one where Biden can emphasize his foreign policy strengths. “Iraq is the single biggest impediment,” he said, to having “flexibility at home” (in terms of domestic spending) and “credibility in the world.” The war has been “a drain on our blood and our treasure,” he said. And until the war is over and American credibility regained, problems like climate change are unlikely to be solved. “We are the only nation in the world capable of being a catalyst for fundamental change,” he said. “That’s not a chauvinistic statement. That’s a statement of fact.”
He said that he “could die a very happy man” if he never heard the ‘Hail to the Chief’ played for him, but that he believed he was the best candidate to be president. “The next president is going to be left with virtually no margin of error,” he said. “A lot is at stake.”
He ended his speech with a (nearly perfect) recitation of the following stanza from “A Cure at Troy” by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney:
History says, don’t hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.
“Join me in making hope and history rhyme,” he said to applause (doesn't that rhetoric sound like it belongs to Obama instead?).
During the following Q&A, he was asked about his low standing in recent polls, and he conceded that he was behind. “I’ve thought more about what I’d do as president than how to get elected,” he said. But he argued that he still had a good chance of winning due to the fluid nature of the race. “On average, no more than 10 percent of caucus-goers have made up their mind,” he said recent polls showed.
And like most lower-tiered candidates, he attacked the money race. “I find it obscene the amount of money being raised,” he said. “I find it offensive.” He said he would have enough money to compete in the early states like Iowa and that he was counting on wins there to propel him to more money and the nomination. “I plan on winning Iowa. That’s not an applause line,” he said to applause. “I am absolutely convinced that I am as good a campaigner; I have better ideas, experience and authenticity.” He estimated 150,000 people might attend the Iowa caucuses, and “if I can get 50,000 of you, Ruth,” he said to an elderly woman sitting down, “I’m your next president.”
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter