Delaware’s favorite son speaks his mind and shows his partisan ass.
Biden: Kerry would 'defuse dangers'By JOHN MACHACEK
Gannett News Service
07/30/2004
BOSTON -- Sen. Joe Biden told thousands of cheering delegates at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night that a John Kerry presidency would make America stronger and safer and would "defuse dangers long before the only choice is war."
Um… Mr. Biden, what exactly do you think happened on a bright September morning in 2001? We did not choose war. Osama bin Laden, his ilk and those who supported him, choose war. And by the way, what exactly did you, Senator Kerry and the rest of Congress do to “defuse the dangers long before” 9/11?
On a night designed to contrast Kerry with President Bush on national security issues, Biden said Kerry would work harder than Bush to build international coalitions before going to war but would reserve the right to strike unilaterally against a "genuine, imminent threat."
How about this - Does this sound like the "genuine, imminent threat." you are talking about? "[W]ithout question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his contin ued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ..." Sounds pretty imminent to me. Your boy John Kerry uttered those words in a speech he made in Jan 23, 2003. I’d post a link, but unfortunately the link was to Senator Kerry’s own campaign website and low and behold it doesn’t work anymore. I wonder why?
"He will not hesitate to unleash the unparalleled power of our military - on any nation or group that does us harm - without asking anyone's permission," said the senator from Delaware, who advises Kerry on foreign policy.
Umm, McFly!? That’s exactly what the Democrats have been criticizing President Bush for doing!. And now you say Kerry will do this himself? So where is the key difference here? Why would I want to vote for Kerry then? Because he says he’ll do what Bush has done? Excuse me if I’d rather have a President who has actually DONE what he said he’d do, than one who only says he’ll do what you say he will. Besides we all know John Kerry never waffled on anything.
Biden, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he does not question the motives of the Bush administration in prosecuting the war against Iraq, but "profoundly disagrees with their judgments."
Mr. Biden “does not question the motives” but "profoundly disagrees with their judgments." ? WTF does that mean? Really. I’ve read that sentence 100 times and I still don’t understand it. Their motives were sound but their judgment were flawed. How exactly does that work? Motives are formed based on judgements, no? How can flawed judgments lead to sound motives?
"History will judge them harshly not for the mistakes made - we all make mistakes - but for the opportunities squandered," Biden said, referring to Bush's failure to build a broader international alliance before going to war.
The ONLY counties missing from our “international alliance” were France and Germany. And they matter because? OK, that’s not fair. I’d admit I have a major issue with the french. But mark my words. When history is done with this issue it will be widely regarded that France’s reluctance to become involve with Iraq was due to her own financial interests and backroom deals with a certain “brutal, murderous dictator.” Germany I don’t understand. And quite frankly I’m embarrassed by their lack of spinal stiffness.
"And for all of America's great might, we are more alone in the world than ever before," Biden told convention delegates. "As a result, we are less secure than we could or we should be."
“We were told by this administration we would pay no price going it alone. That was wrong," Biden continued. "Because we waged the war in Iraq virtually alone, we are responsible for its aftermath, virtually alone."
Biden's remarks mirrored his speech last Sunday to several hundred foreign leaders and diplomats at the National Democratic Institute, a foreign policy group headed by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
In making the case for Kerry's election, Biden told convention delegates Thursday, "America and the world deserve a president whose judgment they can trust."
“Instead of dividing the world, we must unite it," Biden said. "Instead of bullying it, we must build. Instead of walking alone, we must lead. It's only leadership if someone follows, and no one is following."
Those are all nice words Mr. Senator. Real nice words. They sound good in context of getting your partisan buddy elected. But they don’t quite line up with the facts of the time.
Here’s some more nice words. It sounds similar to something someone you know said before:
Saddam Hussein is relentlessly pursuing weapons of mass destruction, abusing his own people and making a mockery of the United Nations. With or without a second U.N. resolution, and barring a coup or last-minute conversion by Hussein, the United States will act to disarm him. …
Wow. That sounds exactly like what happened Mr. Senator. Pretty cool since this quote came merely weeks before we invaded Iraq. But anyway, let’s finish this quote. I wouldn’t want to mischaracterize the statement…
But we will be infinitely better off if we act with the United Nations and with as many friends as possible -- not in spite of them. We can succeed if we show real leadership -- the kind of leadership that inspires others to follow.
Yes. It would have been nice. And with the exception of France and Germany, there is and was an international coalition. (Besides, what would the French really have contributed to this effort. I’m sure our Marines would have loved some fresh baked pastries when they came back from fighting, but aside from that I can’t imagine any other positive contributions of French soldiers on the ground in Iraq.)
There is and was leadership. What has been squandered has been squandered due to partisan in-fighting and bickering. For a short time after 9/11 there was unity. Real unity in Congress. Where we were all Americans – not just Democrats and Republicans. Just Americans.
But since this is an election year, and since Kerry’s only platform is “get rid of Bush” then you have to discredit the President and show what John Kerry would do that different in the future. But when I go back and read what you and Senator Kerry were saying before the war, I don’t see where you or Senator Kerry would have done anything different.