Sen. Shaw goes to D.C.
Sen. Larry Shaw, is a Democrat from Cumberland County who serves in the North Carolina Senate. But folks up in Washington, D.C. report that he was making the rounds up there last week.
The word was, Shaw was shopping his ideas on how to get the United States out of Iraq to members of Congress and the U.S. State Department. He confirmed that Monday afternoon.
My first question to him was how it fell into the purview of a state senator to shop a plan involving international diplomacy, the military and such.
"As you well know, this whole Iraq issue has got the country in a quagmire. We're hurting because of this. We're hurting in so many way. Our military is broken down ... We couldn't fight another war for 90 days if our lives depended on it. So it involves all of us.
The administration, he said, had been given a "blank check" by Congress to wage a war that doesn't seem to be getting better.
"Shouldn't I be concerned about this? Should we all be concerned about this to some degree" he asked.
Shaw has put his ideas to paper and describes it as an exit strategy. A source up in D.C. sends the following along:
- *A letter from Shaw to the State Department outlining his thoughts.
- * A shorter letter to Sens. Dole and Burr.
- * This is a letter to Sec. of State Condoleeza Rice.
From some of the traffic, it looks like Shaw pitched himself as a potential "Middle East Special Envoy." It also looks like at least Congressman's office refused to recommend him for that post.
When I asked Shaw to outline his plan, he said it would involve getting the countries of the OIC, Organization of the Islamic Conference to join as "coalition partners" with the United States. The group is made up of 57 countries whose stated aim is to " pool their resources together, combine their efforts and speak with one voice to safeguard the interest and ensure the progress and well-being of their peoples and those of other Muslims in the world over."
Shaw said that the U.S. should " train them, equip them, to give them everything our guys got," so that they could take a leading role in securing Iraq. When I asked if the OIC might take over for the United States, Shaw said no.
"I wouldn't say take over," he said. "I would say be a coalition partner. They're not in a position to take over anything. But they can work to be our partner and help us out of this."
Shaw said he traveled to D.C. as a private citizen, not as a state Senator nor as a board member of Council on American-Islamic Relations. (He's a CAIR board member.)
Since he's not from the Triad, local readers may not know Shaw, a Fayetteville (that's in Cumberland County) Democrat, has served six terms in the Senate and one in the House. He is one of the few Muslim elected officials serving in the state or federal legislatures.
Comments (1)
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I think that it is a good idea that Mr. Shaw wants to help the country. I think that someone should because according to a CNN count http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/. “There have been 4,118 coalition deaths -- 3,818 Americans…” that have lost their lives in the war in Iraq as of October 8, 2007.
Our country is open to the best technology, schools, and foreign intelligence in the world and our top military officials and congressmen/women can not figure out a way to bring our soldiers home.
Mr. Binker you stated “My first question to him was how it fell into the purview of a state senator to shop a plan involving international diplomacy, the military and such.”
Does it matter where the idea comes from as long as our men and women come home. Why not a State Senator? Just 4 years ago Barack Obama was a State Senator in Illinois and now he is running for President. Is Mr. Obama anymore qualified to run a country, make military and international policy decisions than he was 4 years ago(less than one term in congressman)?
According to the Washington post September 29, 2007 America At War article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/28/AR2007092802077.html
"In their debate Wednesday night in Hanover , N.H. , none of the three top Democratic presidential candidates would promise to have the U.S. military out of Iraq by January 2013 -- more than five years from now."
"I think it would be irresponsible" to state that, said Sen. Barack Obama ( Ill. ).
"I cannot make that commitment," added former senator John Edwards of North Carolina.
"It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting," the party's front-runner said.(Hillary Clinton)
If we play the educational/experience game then the John McCains and Joe Bidens should be the voters top choice because they have the “traditional experience.”
It is time out for the “who put you in charge game” and just find a way out of Iraq . At the end of the day those are the questions the “Congressman” need to be trying to answer. I believe the “Congressman” should be trying to listen to what Mr. Shaw is saying because clearly the “military surge” was a lost cause and the “Congressman” supported that.
The American people are ready for the "roadmap for peace." If Mr. Shaw has the "roadmap for peace" then Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr should be trying to work with him.
It is election time and we are watching!
Posted on October 9, 2007 11:29 PM