Connecticut 2006 Senate general campaign Debate: on War & Peace

Alan Schlesinger: Iraq needs a three-state alternative on the table

LIEBERMAN: I'm not prepared to give up on Iraq and I'm not prepared to fail. Ned Lamont has embraced a proposal for withdrawal by July 2007. To me, that's not a plan for success, that's retreat and a recipe for disaster, and it will deeply hurt the American people.

LAMONT: Joe Lieberman & George Bush's stay-the-course strategy - that's the recipe for failure.

SCHLESINGER: What we have in Iraq is not a military problem, but political problem. The Pentagon has adopted my position-to put a tri-state alternative on the table. With self-government for the Sunnis, the Shias, and the Kurds, with a national council to distribute the oil wealth. I believe you'd then see sectarian violence go down to a minimum; the insurgency from Iran and other countries could be controlled; and our troops could exit in a staged withdrawal naturally, because there'd be peace there.

Joseph Lieberman: Withdrawing by July 2007 is retreat & a recipe for disaster

LIEBERMAN: I have said repeatedly that the Administration has made mistakes in the execution of this war, and I have constantly made suggestions on things to do to help us succeed there-because the costs of failure are enormous. Last month, I offered a 10-point plan for success in Iraq. The top item was a change in the Secretary of Defense - we need new leadership there. Second I offered specific ways for us to better train the Iraqi security forces to take over their own defense so we can bring our troops home. I'm not prepared to give up on Iraq and I'm not prepared to fail. Ned Lamont has embraced a proposal for withdrawal by July 2007. To me, that's not a plan for success, that's retreat and a recipe for disaster, and it will deeply hurt the American people.

LAMONT: Joe Lieberman & George Bush's stay-the-course strategy - that's the recipe for failure.

SCHLESINGER: What we have in Iraq is not a military problem, but political problem.

Ned Lamont: The stay-the-course strategy is a recipe for failure

LIEBERMAN: I'm not prepared to give up on Iraq and I'm not prepared to fail. Ned Lamont has embraced a proposal for withdrawal by July 2007. To me, that's not a plan for success, that's retreat and a recipe for disaster, and it will deeply hurt the American people.

LAMONT: During George Bush's rush to war in Iraq, we needed checks & balances, and tough questions asked. But every step of the way, there was Senator Lieberman saying "stay the course," and I think that was wrong. And here we are, years later, with our troops stuck in the middle of a bloody civil war. It's time for us to challenge the old thinking. We got ourselves into this mess not because we asked too many questions, but because we asked too few. With this election, we're going to start asking the tough questions again. Question #1 is How can we get our troops home safely? Joe Lieberman & George Bush's stay-the-course strategy - that's the recipe for failure.