Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) did an interview with GQ magazine that has been released this month.
In the interview, Sen. Hagel states that the President initially did not plan on going through Congres for authority to attack Iraq (not suprising). So Hagel states that himself, Dick Lugar (R-IN), and Joe Biden (D-DE) went to the White House to consult the President.
On the context of the original draft and Biden's role... on the flip...
In regards to the WH draft, Hagel says:
[Hagel]: It said they could go anywhere in the region.
[GQ]: It wasn't specific to Iraq?
[Hagel]:Oh no. It said the whole region! They could go into Greece or anywhere. Is central Asia in the region? I suppose! Sure as hell it was clear they meant the whole Middle East. It was anything. It was literally anything. No boundaries. No restrictions.
Thats amazing enough, but I'm interested in what Hagel says next:
[GQ]: They expected Congress to let them start a war anywhere in the Middle East?
[Hagel]: Yes. Yes. Wide open. We had to rewrite it. Joe Biden, Dick Lugar, and I stripped the language that the White House had set up and put our language in it.
This is solely based on Hagel's own word and recolection of meetings in the White House in late 2002 over the IWR. Was the IWR presented to Congress in the fall of 2002 the draft written by Senators Biden, Hagel, and Lugar?
I'm curious as to what role Joe Biden played in the IWR draft, and whether this is an issue that the Senator needs to address as a US Senator, and as a Presidential candidate.
I'm looking for clarification - and a good swift kick from you guys if I seriously misinterpreted Hagel's account. I may not be back until morning to edit this diary or comment myself.