Top Stories

Open letter to readers: Today and tomorrow

By Lynda Waddington | 11.17.11

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.

ACS lockout continues; plan emerges to repeal sugar protections

crystal_sugar_80
By Virginia Chamlee | 11.15.11

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.

Cain campaign: Farmers know more about regulations than EPA

hermancain_80x80
By Andrew Duffelmeyer | 11.15.11

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.

Mathis wins, Democrats maintain Senate control

Liz Mathis
By Lynda Waddington | 11.08.11

The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.

Press Release

PR: Nation should work to address veterans’ challenges

By Press Release Reprints | 11.11.11

BRUCE BRALEY RELEASE — As US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan ends, it’s more important than ever that our nation works to address the challenges faced by the men and women who fought there.

PR: Honoring veterans, help in hiring

By Press Release Reprints | 11.11.11

CHUCK GRASSLEY RELEASE — A difficult job market is challenging the soldiers, sailors and airmen who have protected America’s interests by serving in the Armed Forces.

PR: In honor of America’s veterans

By Press Release Reprints | 11.11.11

TOM LATHAM RELEASE — No one has done more to secure the freedom enjoyed by every single American than our veterans and those currently serving in the armed services.

PR: Honoring and supporting our nation’s veterans

By Press Release Reprints | 11.11.11

DAVE LOEBSACK RELEASE — Veterans Day is an opportunity to reflect on the service of generations of veterans and to honor the sacrifices they and their families have made so that we may live in peace and freedom here at home.

Biden Uses Bipartisan Successes to Sharpen Contrast with Democratic Rivals

By T.M. Lindsey | 10.10.07 | 11:50 am
While Delaware Sen. Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential rivals keep talking “experience” and “change” on the campaign trial, Biden used his 34 years of experience last month to harness change in D.C. the old-fashioned way: bipartisanship. During the last week of September, Biden reined in bipartisan support to help pass two amendments to the Defense Authorization Bill. And now Biden is touting these successes to highlight his leadership capabilities, which may prove troublesome for his Democratic rivals who opposed the Iraq funding bill in March for political reasons.
Sen. Biden stops to take questions from reporters at last month’s Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola
Biden’s plan for Iraq, which establishes a federal system in Iraq overwhelmingly passed Sept. 26 by a vote of 75-23.During the vote, Biden’s plan secured the support of key leaders in the U.S. Senate from both parties, including Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., former Chairman John Warner, R-Va., Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and presidential candidate Sen. Sam Brownback, who co-authored the amendment.

Last December, Biden became the first Democrat to oppose President Bush’s proposed surge of additional troops in Iraq, stating at the time, that the only way to end this war was to build a bipartisan consensus opposed to President Bush’s policy. “For the first time in this incredibly divisive national debate we’ve been having about Iraq, a strong bipartisan majority of senators – including fully half of the Republicans – has voted to change course,” Biden said in a press release. “It’s the first time there is some real hope that we can put ourselves on a course to leave Iraq without leaving chaos behind.”Two days later, Biden’s bipartisan legislation (Amendment 3075) passed in the Senate. The amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization Bill boosts funding for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles by $23.6 billion, allowing the Army to replace all of its up-armored Humvees in Iraq with the MRAPs. Roadside bombs are responsible for 70 percent of casualties in Iraq – they are by far the most lethal weapon used against our troops. Mine Resistant Vehicles can reduce those casualties by more than two-thirds.

“We have no higher obligation than to protect those we send to the front lines,” Biden said in a press release. “While we argue in Washington about the best course of action in Iraq, our troops on the ground face Improvised Explosive Devices, Rocket Propelled Grenades, Explosively Formed Penetrators, sniper fire and suicide bombers every day. I am heartened to know that my amendment-with the support of Democrats and Republicans working together-will provide technology and equipment that will save American lives on the ground in Iraq.”

Biden has vowed to uphold America’s contract with the troops on the ground, regardless of the political consequences. “As long as we have a single soldier on the front lines in Iraq, or anywhere else, it is this country’s most sacred responsibility to protect them,” Biden has repeated on the campaign trial, including a stop at Prairie Lights in Iowa City.

Sen. Biden uses his speaking notes to demonstrate the MRAP’s capabilities to a crowd gathered at the Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City during a Sept. campaign stop

This promise and Biden’s vigilance for pushing the MRAP legislation has resonated with Iraq veterans in Iowa, including James D. Mowrer, who recently returned from a 16-month deployment to Iraq while serving with the Iowa National Guard’s 133rd Infantry Battalion. Mowrer, now the state coordinator for Veterans for Biden, cited these reasons why he wanted to work for Biden on his return.

“This is a perfect example of Senator Biden’s leadership, “Mowrer told the Iowa Independent. “Joe Biden can bring Americans together to tackle the toughest issues ahead of us. Americans on the ground in Iraq need to know, without a doubt, that whoever the next commander-in-chief is, that they will always provide the troops under their command with the best leadership and proper equipment.

Over the last six months, Biden has repeatedly called on the administration to make the construction and deployment of MRAPs and protection from Explosively Formed Penetrators a national priority and to investigate the military’s failure to field this technology sooner. “When our commanders in the field tell us that these Mine Resistant Vehicles will reduce casualties by 67 to 80 percent, I cannot understand why the Administration’s wartime budget request falls far below the stated needs of our folks on the ground,” Biden said in a press release. “Providing our troops with the best possible protection should be a shared top priority. When American lives and limbs are on the line, giving anything less that 100 percent is not enough.”

Although Biden’s Democratic presidential rivals supported the Sept. MRAP legislation, this was a point of contention the first time Biden’s MRAP amendment came up for a vote as part of the Iraq $120 billion emergency spending bill in March. The measure included a Biden amendment allocating $1.5 billion to fast-track the MRAPs. The Senate approved the legislation 80-14, with Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York, Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Barack Obama of Illinois casting votes against the bill.

Biden took a lot of heat from the anti-war contingency that has argued his “yes” vote on the funding bill signaled a continued support of Bush’s failed policies in Iraq. Biden has countered on the campaign trail in Iowa that some things are worth losing an election over. “The funding was not for the war but for the troops,” Biden said at a stop in Iowa City. “When pushed, my colleagues who voted against that bill said they were trying to make a point. I don’t make points about the physical safety of the kids we send to war. I don’t want to fly any false colors with you. It’s time to tell the truth, and the truth is that as long as we have troops over there, I will provide every single thing within my power to provide for their safety.”

This is where the support-the-troops rhetoric may prove troublesome for Biden’s campaign rivals. All of them have gone on public record indicating their support for the troops in Iraq before opposing or voting against the supplemental funding bill. Biden has been quick to point out that his opponents voted against funds for the troops to make a political point by sending a message to Bush. During an appearance at the Iowa State Fair, Biden said, “What did some of my colleagues say to why they voted against the money? They said they voted against the money to make a political point. Well, there is no political point worth my son’s life. There is no political point worth anybody’s life out there. None.”

With the recent passage of the second MRAP amendment, Biden’s rivals in the Senate were able to show their support the troops without fearing repercussions from the anti-war base. In doing so, Biden’s senatorial colleagues have cast a cloud of ambiguity on where they stand regarding troop funding. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards helped contribute to the ambiguity while speaking on “Meet the Press” this past Sunday. When asked by Tim Russert, “You now are in favor of cutting off funding, aren’t you?”, Edwards responded with “No, sir. No.”

Five months ago, just before Congress was to vote on the supplemental funding bill in March, Edwards urged Congress to defeat the bill. “Any compromise that funds the war through the end of (the) fiscal year is not a compromise at all — it’s a capitulation,” Edwards said in his remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations. “Every member of Congress — every member of Congress should stand their ground on this issue and do everything in their power to block this bill.”

Edwards’ comments on Sunday prompted Biden to issue the following statement in Iowa Monday:

“I call on all the candidates running for the Democratic nomination for President — regardless of their differing views of how to end war in Iraq — to support our troops while they are there and as they are coming home. It is the one sacred obligation that we have to protect our men and women who are sent into battle.”

Comments

  • Iowameg

    Biden’s Successes The more I see and hear of Joe Biden, the more impressed I am by his credentials, his achievements and his dedication to do what it takes to get our country headed back in the right direction.

    His ability to work both sides of the aisle is an asset we will definitely need in the coming days and years.

    In foreign policy, his expertise is second to none.  He’s forged relationships and developed rapport and mutual respect with the leaders of foreign countries.

    Domestically he consistently takes measures to ensure what is best for the people and fights for what he knows is right.

    We are lucky this time around that there are so many qualified candidates from which to choose, and Biden is one of the good ones!

  • Steve Fallon

    My Personal President There is but one person in this presidential contest who, though he has many of them, needs no endorsement, who needs neither riches nor popular fame, for these things are but pale substitutes for  a lack of intrinsic value in a candidate for the highest office in the land.  There is but one person whose accomplishments, whose record of leadership and whose core beliefs are greater endorsements of his qualifications than can be weighed in terms of donations given . . . or favors owed.

    The last presidential contest consumed nearly 700 million dollars of this nation’s treasure . . . and what did we get for it?  If things continue as in the past, the current presidential race is expected to consume as much as one billion dollars.  And, so, the question we must all ask is, will that additional 300 million buy us a better leader this time?  Or has throwing money onto the political bonfire become our way of easing the burden of our consciences as we make sacrifices to idols and  blind ourselves to our choices, casting ballots based on little more than gilded images and trembling hope alone?

    If we are to learn anything from the past two elections for president, it must be that the candidate with the most amount of money to throw around is the one to be avoided at all costs.  All that money, all those millions and millions, work as a powerful magnet of seduction,  attracting the glitter of leadership while repelling and excluding all those who cannot, or will not, allow themselves to be seduction’s prey.

    My candidate, my choice for my own personal president, is a man who has served this country with honor and distinction, and over his 34 years in the United States Senate, has gained the respect, admiration and, of most importance, the bi-partisan support of his colleagues and the respect of world leaders that entitles him to present to the American people at this crucial time in our history a set of accomplishments so great as to speak louder and more persuasively than any other kind of endorsement can.  Which, in my view, is the only justification for endorsing a candidate for president.

    My candidate saw the solution for the war in Iraq when others saw only opportunity to pander to those who share their lack of insight.  My candidate is a man who does not mince words, who does not respond to questions with the sort of answers he can later revise to suit a new audience.  He is steadfast in his opinions and  authentic in the ways in which he expresses those opinions.  And in the things he has to say, whether the topic be international or domestic, one can hear the comforting ring of truth as pragmatism tempers the passion and experience he brings to every issue.

    I would never vote for a president I would not treasure as a friend.  My candidate, my choice for my own personal president, is a man who deserves your full attention and consideration, a man who deserves to be called your friend.  My candidate is named Joe Biden.

  • Iowameg

    Biden's Successes The more I see and hear of Joe Biden, the more impressed I am by his credentials, his achievements and his dedication to do what it takes to get our country headed back in the right direction.

    His ability to work both sides of the aisle is an asset we will definitely need in the coming days and years.

    In foreign policy, his expertise is second to none.  He's forged relationships and developed rapport and mutual respect with the leaders of foreign countries.

    Domestically he consistently takes measures to ensure what is best for the people and fights for what he knows is right.

    We are lucky this time around that there are so many qualified candidates from which to choose, and Biden is one of the good ones!

  • Steve Fallon

    My Personal President There is but one person in this presidential contest who, though he has many of them, needs no endorsement, who needs neither riches nor popular fame, for these things are but pale substitutes for  a lack of intrinsic value in a candidate for the highest office in the land.  There is but one person whose accomplishments, whose record of leadership and whose core beliefs are greater endorsements of his qualifications than can be weighed in terms of donations given . . . or favors owed.

    The last presidential contest consumed nearly 700 million dollars of this nation's treasure . . . and what did we get for it?  If things continue as in the past, the current presidential race is expected to consume as much as one billion dollars.  And, so, the question we must all ask is, will that additional 300 million buy us a better leader this time?  Or has throwing money onto the political bonfire become our way of easing the burden of our consciences as we make sacrifices to idols and  blind ourselves to our choices, casting ballots based on little more than gilded images and trembling hope alone?

    If we are to learn anything from the past two elections for president, it must be that the candidate with the most amount of money to throw around is the one to be avoided at all costs.  All that money, all those millions and millions, work as a powerful magnet of seduction,  attracting the glitter of leadership while repelling and excluding all those who cannot, or will not, allow themselves to be seduction's prey.

    My candidate, my choice for my own personal president, is a man who has served this country with honor and distinction, and over his 34 years in the United States Senate, has gained the respect, admiration and, of most importance, the bi-partisan support of his colleagues and the respect of world leaders that entitles him to present to the American people at this crucial time in our history a set of accomplishments so great as to speak louder and more persuasively than any other kind of endorsement can.  Which, in my view, is the only justification for endorsing a candidate for president.

    My candidate saw the solution for the war in Iraq when others saw only opportunity to pander to those who share their lack of insight.  My candidate is a man who does not mince words, who does not respond to questions with the sort of answers he can later revise to suit a new audience.  He is steadfast in his opinions and  authentic in the ways in which he expresses those opinions.  And in the things he has to say, whether the topic be international or domestic, one can hear the comforting ring of truth as pragmatism tempers the passion and experience he brings to every issue.

    I would never vote for a president I would not treasure as a friend.  My candidate, my choice for my own personal president, is a man who deserves your full attention and consideration, a man who deserves to be called your friend.  My candidate is named Joe Biden.

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