A fair account of Romney’s position

Indeed, Brownback teamed up with Sen. Joe Biden to propose a plan to partition Iraq into three states for the Kurds, Shi’ites and Sunnis with a central government to see to common interests.

Brownback fairly characterizes Romney’s position. Romney has not endorsed the plan and published an essay in the July-August issue of Foreign Affairs saying he was opposed to the concept.

“Today, the nation’s attention is focused on Iraq,” he wrote. “All Americans want U.S. troops to come home as soon as possible. But walking away now or dividing Iraq up into parts and walking away later would present grave risks to the United States and the world. Iran could seize the Shiite south, al Qaeda could dominate the Sunni west, and Kurdish nationalism could destabilize the border with Turkey. A regional conflict could ensue, perhaps even requiring the return of U.S. troops under far worse circumstances.”