Whuh??? Democratic Senator Biden’s op-ed in the Washington Post: A Plan to Hold Iraq Together.

Obviously since I’m a Republican, I’m obligated to question his patriotism and shout from the rooftops (c’mon everybody, join along), “CUT AND RUN! CUT AND RUN!” Karl Rove should make t-shirts and/or a song.

Or maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe I should say that this is a reasonable start, and we should have a civilized debate about what we should do in Iraq. Maybe I can disagree with his plan without saying that Osama wants you to elect Democrats. Alas, if only we lived in such a world. Still, I will do my small part.

Here’s Biden’s reasonable 5-point plan:

First, the plan calls for maintaining a unified Iraq by decentralizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis their own regions. The central government would be left in charge of common interests, such as border security and the distribution of oil revenue.

Second, it would bind the Sunnis to the deal by guaranteeing them a proportionate share of oil revenue. Each group would have an incentive to maximize oil production, making oil the glue that binds the country together.

Third, the plan would create a massive jobs program while increasing reconstruction aid — especially from the oil-rich Gulf states — but tying it to the protection of minority rights.

Fourth, it would convene an international conference that would produce a regional nonaggression pact and create a Contact Group to enforce regional commitments.

Fifth, it would begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces this year and withdraw most of them by the end of 2007, while maintaining a small follow-on force to keep the neighbors honest and to strike any concentration of terrorists.

I disagree with point 5, specifically. The keyword is stability. I believe that withdrawing troops will make Iraq less stable. A “small follow-on force” will not be enough to “keep the neighbors honest.”

I’m not sure that you can make “oil the glue that binds the country together.” I don’t see how this plan makes oil a unifying force. Still, a more federal system may be the least worst choice that we have when it comes to Iraq.

I really, really like point 3. Ever since I read the book about the Marshall Plan, I realized that an economic plan for Iraq was necessary. Unfortunately, Bush doesn’t realize that. Even in the provinces where we had modest success, the lack of jobs threatened to tear it all apart.