Today’s timesaver: skip Joe Biden’s article

In today’s WashPost, Senator Biden plays statesman with “For success in Iraq, change course.” Problem is, Biden offers no alternatives other than the squishy “build international support” nonsense that everybody recognizes as empty rhetoric. Biden’s article is indistinguishable from a speech he gave to the Brookings Institute in June; here’s what Mickey Kaus had to say:

The only substantial difference with Bush, that I see, is Biden's call for establishing a "contact group" with "European and regional partners." They'd be given "a seat at the decision-making table." The payoff would be that Shia politicians could make concessions to the Sunnis and then tell their Shia constituents, "'The international community made me do it.'" Arguably, that would go over better than, "The Americans made me do it." But Biden's basic strategy--stand up the Iraqi government and military, wean Sunni support away from the insurgents--is the same as Bush's. He should admit it. ...[But he also calls for "clear benchmarks"!--ed Classic makeweight Kabuki Congressional demand. When you have nothing else to say, call for "clear benchmarks" or a "new compact," or a timetable or some other gimmick. Biden has here arguably violated the Benchmark Proliferation Reduction Act by failing to append a Benchmark Proliferation Impact Statement to his speech.]

You can’t change course from the back seat, Joe.