Is Senator Biden making a difference on the debate over Iraq?

Senator Joe Biden's actions, as Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is having an effect in the public arena, as claimed by the Senator himself, this morning on ABC's "This Week" The dialogue is now front and center and would not have taken place had not the Senator introduced the non-binding Resolution which passed 12 to 9 earlier this week. The discussions are healthy, and making Senators be on record on this so important a matter, is helping the debate on the war itself. This never happened when the Republican's held the majority as they controlled much of the dialogue. Now they are being forced to tell all where they stand.

It is a public service to have this debate in the light of day for several reasons. First it allows frustrations to be expressed by all having them. Secondly, it helps put some pressure on an Administration not use to having any and not accustomed to accountability. And thirdly, it helps the American public differentiate politicians running for office or the Presidency and serves notice that we are all listening carefully to what they say and what they believe. These next 2 years will be the most important for this country. We need to have this dialogue and with nearly 100,000 descending on the nation's capitol yesterday in protest of the Iraq war, we need to be listening to all voices in the debate and weigh them with the seriousness they deserve. Lives hang in the balance. Our Democracy can handle this dialogue and those that infer it can't, are fear mongers. We have had enough fear mongering from this Administration to last several lifetimes. Someone please turn off the microphone on Cheney, as he serves no good, but to cheapen the debate. His comments are demeaning for any intelligent human being. If he were just another citizen, we could realize his reasoning is flawed and egregious and ignore him, but since they come from the man who is Vice President, they are an offense to our country and the world.