Iowa Democratic Debate 2020: Sanders ups the ante against Biden citing his 2002 vote to authorize Iraq war
Six Democratic candidates appeared on the stage for the seventh Democratic debate — the last before the Iowa caucuses on February 3 — at Drake University in Des Moines in the Hawkeye State on Wednesday, January 14.
The all-white podium features former Vice-President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and billionaire executive Tom Steyer. The debate, the first of 2020 and also of a new decade, lacks diversity following the drop-out of Cory Booker and the failure of Andrew Yang to qualify for the event. The only Latino candidate in the fray — Julian Castro — a former secretary of Housing and Development, also quit the race on January 2.
CNN hosted the debate with The Des Moines Register (DMR) and the moderators included Brianne Pfannenstiel of the DMR and Wolf Blitzer and Abby Phillip of CNN.
As it was expected, foreign policy issues took the center stage during the debate, especially in the wake of the assassination of top Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani in US airstrike in Baghdad on January 3.
Sanders, Biden on past stands on Iraq
Blitzer posed the first question to Sanders: “Why are you best prepared — the best prepared person on this stage to be commander in chief?”
To that, Sanders said he had not only voted against the war on Iraq, but also helped efforts against the war. He attacked Joe Biden’s 2002 vote to authorize the use of military force in Iraq.
When Biden was asked the same question, taking into account the fact that he had supported the Iraq war, he admitted his mistake but added that when his president Barack Obama gave him the task of ending the Iraq war, he came out with flying colors by bringing back thousands of troops from the volatile country.
However, when the moderator asked Sanders that he too supported the Obama administration’s decision to keep troops in Afghanistan and how did it make him different from Biden’s support for Iraq war, the veteran smiled to say there is a difference.
US let down in Middle East: Biden
On the US’ growing challenges in the Middle East, Biden said Washington is at a disadvantage in the Iran situation.
“We're in a situation where our allies in Europe are making a comparison between the United States and Iran, saying both ought to stand down, making a moral equivalence. We have lost our standing in the region. We have lost the support of our allies. The next president has to be able to pull those folks back together, re-establish our alliances and insist that Iran go back into the agreement, which I believe with the pressure applied as we put on before, we can get done,” he said.
Warren said the US was only going in circles and sought an immediate end to the wars abroad.