Biden shoves foot in mouth at Mach 3

[Manedwolf]

Nice, Joe! Good to see he hasn't changed at all...

Barack Obama will face an international crisis early in his presidency, Joe Biden warns, fueling Republican charges that the Democratic presidential candidate's own running mate admits Obama is a blank slate in the face of coming national security threats.

Speaking in Seattle on Sunday, Biden said he could guarantee that the world will want to find out if Obama is up to the job, which he assured voters he is.

"Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking," Biden said.

"Remember I said it standing here. if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. And he's gonna have to make some really tough -- I don't know what the decision's gonna be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it's gonna happen," Biden continued.

The Delaware senator's remarks were the second of their kind over the weekend. At a fundraiser in San Francisco, Biden said Obama's challengers will "find out this guy's got steel in his spine" whenhe is tested.

The McCain campaign jumped on Biden's remarks, saying the next president "won't have time to get used to the office."

"Just last night, Senator Biden guaranteed that if Senator Obama is elected, we will have an international crisis to test America's new president," reads a memo from the McCain campaign. "We don't want a president who invites testing from the world at a time when our economy is in crisis and Americans are already fighting in two wars. ...

"Senator Obama wont have the right response, and we know that because we've seen the wrong response from him over and over during this campaign. ... We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight: hoping for our luck to change at home and abroad. We have to act. We need a new direction, and we have to fight for it," the statement said.

During a McCain campaign press conference on Monday, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani also weighed in on the Democratic vice presidential candidate's remarks, saying they reveal that "Biden continues to harbor doubts that Obama is ready to be commander-in-chief."

But Democratic aides said that Biden was merely reciting history and assuring supporters that Obama is the man for the job.

"Sen. Biden was making it clear that history has shown presidents face challenges starting on day one, and with our nation fighting two wars and 21st century threats abroad, we know that we need steady leadership in tumultuous times, not the erratic lurching and stubborn ideology of John McCain," said Biden spokesman David Wade

Democratic strategist and pollster Doug Schoen said Biden's comments are "probably an uncomfortable truth, certainly not what you want as a Democratic strategist for your vice presidential candidate to say....

"But he probably is going to be tested and he hasn't had experience and I'd like to think he'll be up to the task with whatever we face, but politics is about making choices. But the question is given the failures of the Bush administration ... do we want to go in that direction or do we want to go in a different direction?" Schoen asked.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/20/biden-obama-tested-world-months-administration/

[French G.]

Prediction(Assuming O wins): Israel and Iran will both run amuck shortly after Jan 20, 2009, knowing our response will be confused at best. Problem for us is that scared people with no clue have panicky reactions.

[De Selby]

Prediction(Assuming O wins): Israel and Iran will both run amuck shortly after Jan 20, 2009, knowing our response will be confused at best. Problem for us is that scared people with no clue have panicky reactions.

What will Israel and Iran have to gain from this?

[TommyGunn]

I suppose it means Iran will attack Israel, or Israel will pre-emptively attack Iran.

[longeyes]

Or perhaps he's just setting up arguments for the government to get a tighter stranglehold on all of us...?

[Manedwolf]

But the thing is, shouldn't the Republicans be bringing this up, and not Obama's running mate?

Biden just can't stop babbling once he opens his mouth. He's always been like that.

[Monkeyleg]

This would make excellent material for a McCain ad...if he had any money.

Kruschev thought that Kennedy was a lightweight frat boy who would fold when the Soviets moved missiles into Cuba. (Note to Joe Biden: that perception, and JFK's response, brought us to the brink of all-out nucular war).

The Iranians measured up Jimmy Carter and decided they could take American hostages.

The Soviets measured up Reagan as well. When Reagan fired the air traffic controllers, that sent a pretty strong signal as to the type of man they were dealing with.

Al Queda measured up Bill Clinton, and realized they could do just about anything.

Our enemies don't even have to measure Obama. He's ready to talk when the bullets and missiles are flying.

[slingshot]

Obama for president.  Man, get with the program!!  He will be tested as all rookie's are.  Biden says he is up to the task.


You believe he is up to the task?  I don't.  Obama does not have a clue.  He thinks he can pursuade foreign leaders to his point of view, a socialist one.  Israel and Iran is probably going to happen and I predict Obama does NOTHING and probably condemn the action as a destablizing situation.  Sorry... we have our own war to contend with.  One I was never in favor of starting in the first place.

McCain supporters have their own doubts about McCain.  But they have far greater doubts about Obama.  So the idiots who want "change" at any cost will vote for Obama and the rest will vote for McCain.  The majority of those will be lining up for the big tax credits too.  Obama is buying votes pure and simple.

[MechAg94]

Translation:  "And you thought the whole Patriot Act/Homeland security deal was trampling your rights, watch this!"

[Lennyjoe]

Yea Mec, I get the same feeling!

[agricola]

I suppose the worrying part of this was this bit:

Biden went on to say that it would not be readily apparent that Obama's response would be the correct one and urged supporters to stand by him even in doubt.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=31736

What on earth are they be planning to do if the SHTF that his own supporters would have doubts? 

[French G.]

What will Israel and Iran have to gain from this?

Israel has been held in restraint by the US not okaying them whacking Iran's nuke program.  Iran has been less bellicose of late but their oil money is going to run out with $70/barrel the order of the day. Iran will know that we lack any semblance of resolve and increase their cross border tinkering in Iraq, and go full on with their enrichment program. Expect them to stir stuff up in Syria again and to figure that a few particularly nasty IED attacks in Iraq will make us turn tail and run much faster than Obama's honorable withdrawal timeline crap.

280 summed up the 20th century pretty well, everyone can spot the JV scrub in an NFL line, they are all going to pound the ball at them.

Say what you will about bumbling George, he erased the world's post Vietnam perception that we cut and run with a bloody nose. That is his legacy, hopefully we don't screw it up and go back to the days when 19 dead Rangers make us quit what we are doing. 

[Jamisjockey]

What will Israel and Iran have to gain from this?

If Israel percieves that Barry is going to hang them out to dry anyways, then they have nothing to lose from a first strike on Iran.  If Iran percieves Barry to be weak, they having nothing to lose from forging ahead with thier nuke program, or from fullfilling thier promise to wipe Isreal off the map.  But I'm sure in your all knowingness you already knew that.

[Gowen]

Say what you will about bumbling George, he erased the world's post Vietnam perception that we cut and run with a bloody nose. That is his legacy, hopefully we don't screw it up and go back to the days when 19 dead Rangers make us quit what we are doing.

The Chinese tested GW when he was first in office with the taking of our surveillance plane.  I don't think he handled it very well.  The next test came on 9/11, the response  against Afghanistan was excellent.  

[agricola]

Maybe the IDF will use the period between Nov 4th and Jan 20th to kick things off, especially if He does win. 

McCain supporters have their own doubts about McCain.  But they have far greater doubts about Obama.

Admittedly I am not voting, but if I was I wouldnt have any doubts on this issue with McCain.  From what I have read he is on the button when it comes to war - it is abhorrent, but if you have to do it then you do it as hard as possible with all the force that is required to do it.  There is no point in pussyfooting around.

[txgho1911]

Iraq will come out of it smelling like roses and manure and oil and traffic jams. And everything else that doesn't smell like a glass and mirror factory.

[MechAg94]

The Chinese tested GW when he was first in office with the taking of our surveillance plane.  I don't think he handled it very well.  The next test came on 9/11, the response  against Afghanistan was excellent.  

I didn't really like that whole situation either, but I am not sure how we could have handled it differently.  I am not sure being more aggressive with the Chinese would get the response we wanted.