Kirsten Gillibrand Talkin 'bout Real Issues

A great story in The Record today after Gillibrand met with their editorial board. An excerpt:

...One of the most divisive issues in the country is the war in Iraq, and Gillibrand slammed the Bush administration and her opponent for not having a plan, any plan, except to stick it out while things continue to deteriorate.

"They talk about cutting and running and losing and have terrorists come over here, or staying and fighting and winning and fighting the terrorist over there," she said. "That is offensive to the American people, and that should not be the nature of the debate. They are not the only choices we as Americans could be making."

She said she would first push for a congressional resolution directing military leaders to come up with a time to withdraw, preferably within a year, and pledge not to have a permanent presence after we leave. Also, she said, she would pledge not to lay claim to any Iraqi oil.

To stabilize the region, she would bring the three distinct Iraqi factions to the table and give them each "leverage" and thereby a reason to choose peace over civil war. All three groups would have a piece of the oil profits and an equal say in how the country is run.

"Most Americans don't know why we are there. They were told it was because of weapons of mass destruction and because we were going to be attacked, and they understood that and were behind that," she said. "But, none of it was true, and now they are wondering why we are there." She would look to leverage allies and use diplomacy to handle two other hot spots around the world - North Korea and Iran.

She would not be as diplomatic with big oil companies, however....