Joe Biden: “as President Bush prepares to address the Nation on the state of the Union, we stand, to state the obvious, at a…”

“as President Bush prepares to address the Nation on the state of the Union, we stand, to state the obvious, at a precipice of a momentous decision: War, war with Iraq. The American people, and the world, for that matter, are waiting to hear what the President's decision is and his rationale for it. They are waiting to hear a clear explanation of why war may be the only remaining alternative and what will be expected of them not only in winning the war but what will be expected of the American people for us to win the peace. A generation ago, I and my entire generation learned a very important lesson. That lesson was: No matter how brilliant or how well thought out a foreign policy may be, it cannot be sustained without the informed consent of the American people. To date, there has been no informed consent. That is not a criticism; it is just an objective observation. For the President, to date, has not had the requirement, in the hope of avoiding war, to inform the American people in detail of what the consequences of war will be and what will be expected of them.”