Biden Says Bush's Iraq Policy Doomed

Delaware Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D) said today that the Bush Administration's surge strategy in Iraq is doomed to fail and criticized Army General David Petraeus for offering what he called an overly optimistic assessment of the situation on the ground.

Biden, in an attempt to distinguish himself from the crowded Democratic presidential field, also asserted that none of his principal rivals for the nomination has offered a viable plan for success in Iraq.

Biden's critical assessment came hours after Arizona Sen. John McCain (R) defended the administration's strategy and chastised Democrats for not giving Petraeus and U.S. military forces enough time to make it work.

Biden paraphrased comments made by Petraeus several years ago that "there comes a moment in an invasion where you have a brief opportunity to set things straight and then it turns into an occupation," adding that "He was right then, he's wrong now."

Biden made his comments during an interview at the studios of washingtonpost.com as a guest on "PostTalk" -- a new, regular video feature that provides interviews with presidential candidates, politicians and other newsmakers.

In addition to Iraq, Biden talked candidly about his own presidential prospects against high-profile Democratic candidates including Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.)

Acknowledging that he trails the frontrunners badly in money raised, Biden said he believes he will have plenty of cash to compete in the four early states -- caucuses in Iowa and Nevada and primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said his path to victory includes finishing in the top three in Iowa's Jan. 14 caucus, a strong showing in New Hampshire and a victory in South Carolina where he has focused considerable time and energy.

Biden, who has appeared regularly on Don Imus' radio show, said he would condition future appearances on a change the tone of the program. He added that the attention Imus' racially charged remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team have received could have a positive effect on the discussions of race and gender in the public sphere.

But it was Iraq where Biden was most strident, insisting that advocates of President Bush's strategy for reducing violence and killings in Iraq -- most notably McCain -- had no plan beyond adding more troops. "Assume the surge worked, then what?" asked Biden. "Stay there forever? If you don't stay there forever, what's the political solution?"

He also reiterated his belief that those -- including many within his own party -- who believe that a centralized democratic Iraqi government will emerge are flat wrong. "Not possible," Biden said. Biden has long advocated a proposal that would split Iraq into three sections occupied by the Sunnis, Shias and Kurds, respectively.

"You separate the parties, giving them breathing room within a defined central government," Biden said. "That's the only thing that's going to work."