Politics | Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 8:52:53 am PDT What an interesting admission from Joe Biden, who states pretty clearly that Barack Obama’s youth and lack of experience will lead to “an international crisis. [article is below]” “Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. 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.” “I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate,” Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. “And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you - not financially to help him - we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.” SEATTLE, WA — Joe Biden says he’s certain that if Barack Obama is elected president, there will be an international crisis to test his strength within the first 6 months of his presidency. “Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America.” he told a fundraising crowd in the Pacific Northwest on Sunday. “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.” “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.” The Delaware Senator made similar remarks at a San Francisco fundraiser the day before. “We’re going to face a major international challenge. Because they’re going to want to test him, just like they did young John Kennedy. They’re going to want to test him. And they’re going to find out this guy’s got steel in his spine,” Biden said. He told the crowd to continue to stand by Obama and know they made the right choice even when the going gets tough. The Democratic VP nominee has talked about the difficult environment the next president, no matter who he is, will step into — calling it the toughest since the Great Depression — but never before suggested that Obama in particular would be tested because of who he is. The RNC and the McCain campaign both jumped on the remarks - with the McCain campaign claiming Biden guaranteed an international crisis in the event of an Obama election. South Carolina Senator and top McCain adviser Lindsey Graham already used the remark against the Obama campaign while introducing the Arizona Senator this morning. In response, Biden spokesman David Wade says “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.” Listen to the audio of Biden’s full Seattle remarks here — the comments in question are about 10 minutes in. By Noel Sheppard October 20, 2008 http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/10/20/biden-guarantees-international-crisis-six-months-if-obama-wins Democrat vice presidential candidate Joe Biden on Sunday guaranteed that if Barack Obama is elected president, there will be an international crisis within six months. It's certainly going to be interesting to see how the Obama-loving media report this potentially huge gaffe by the Delaware senator. UPDATE AT END OF POST: Is Biden basing this on national security information the Obama campaign received from the White House last week? Kudos to ABC's Matthew Jaffe and the networks Political Radar blog for posting this Monday (emphasis added, partial audio embedded right http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/10/20/biden-guarantees-international-crisis-six-months-if-obama-wins): "Mark my words," the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. 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." Wow! Powerful stuff indeed. Think it will be widely reported? Before you answer, consider what would happen if Sarah Palin made such a comment. Think that would be newsworthy? We'd probably hear about it every day until the elections, wouldn't we? *****Update: FoxNews.com reported Sunday that Obama and McCain campaign reps received national security information from the White House last week (h/t Gary Hall): For the first time in American history, the FBI is already vetting members of the next administration in an effort to make sure that whether John McCain or Barack Obama is the next president, their staffs will be ready to handle any national security threats. Though no specific threats are evident at this time, some members of the intelligence community say terror groups love to target countries during transition periods. Those intelligence experts point to terror attacks that came as Gordon Brown took over as Britain's new prime minister, and the Madrid bombings of March 11, 2003, that happened just before a major election there as examples of the vulnerability of new administrations. White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten reportedly held a meeting this week with senior White House staffers and representatives from both the McCain and Obama camps. The goal was to make sure everyone is up to speed on the latest threats and have the information they need to be ready come inauguration day, Jan. 20. Might Biden be revealing national security secrets in order to further his campaign? —Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. October 20, 2008 http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/10/biden-to-suppor.html ABC News' Matthew Jaffe Reports: Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., on Sunday guaranteed that if elected, Sen. Barack Obama., D-Ill., will be tested by an international crisis within his first six months in power and he will need supporters to stand by him as he makes tough, and possibly unpopular, decisions. Biden: Elect Obama and We'll Have an International Crisis
Biden: If Elected, The World Will Test Obama With A Crisis
Biden Guarantees an International Crisis in Six Months if Obama Wins
"I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate," Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities.
Biden to Supporters: "Gird Your Loins", For the Next President "It's Like Cleaning Augean Stables"
"Mark my words," the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. 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."
"I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate," Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. "And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right."
Not only will the next administration have to deal with foreign affairs issues, Biden warned, but also with the current economic crisis.
"Gird your loins," Biden told the crowd. "We're gonna win with your help, God willing, we're gonna win, but this is not gonna be an easy ride. This president, the next president, is gonna be left with the most significant task. It's like cleaning the Augean stables, man. This is more than just, this is more than – think about it, literally, think about it – this is more than just a capital crisis, this is more than just markets. This is a systemic problem we have with this economy."
The Delaware lawmaker managed to rake in an estimated $1 million total from his two money hauls at the downtown Sheraton, the same hotel where four years ago Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., clinched the Democratic nomination. Despite warning about the difficulties the next administration will face, Biden said the Democratic ticket is equipped to meet the challenges head on.
"I've forgotten more about foreign policy than most of my colleagues know, so I'm not being falsely humble with you. I think I can be value added, but this guy has it," the Senate Foreign Relations chairman said of Obama. "This guy has it. But he's gonna need your help. Because I promise you, you all are gonna be sitting here a year from now going, 'Oh my God, why are they there in the polls? Why is the polling so down? Why is this thing so tough?' We're gonna have to make some incredibly tough decisions in the first two years. So I'm asking you now, I'm asking you now, be prepared to stick with us. Remember the faith you had at this point because you're going to have to reinforce us."
"There are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, 'Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don't know about that decision'," Biden continued. "Because if you think the decision is sound when they're made, which I believe you will when they're made, they're not likely to be as popular as they are sound. Because if they're popular, they're probably not sound."
Biden emphasized that the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border is of particular concern, with Osama bin Laden "alive and well" and Pakistan "bristling with nuclear weapons."
"You literally can see what these kids are up against, our kids in that region," Biden said in recalling when his helicopter was forced down due to a snowstorm there. "The place is crawling with al Qaeda. And it's real."
"We do not have the military capacity, nor have we ever, quite frankly, in the last 20 years, to dictate outcomes," he cautioned. "It's so much more important than that. It's so much more complicated than that. And Barack gets it."
After speaking for just over a quarter of an hour, Biden noticed the media presence in the back of the small ballroom.
"I probably shouldn't have said all this because it dawned on me that the press is here," he joked.
"All kidding aside, these guys have left us in a God-awful place," he then said of the Bush regime, promptly wrapping up his remarks. "We have the ability to straighten it out. It's gonna take a little bit of time, so I ask you to stay with us. Stay with us."
Monday, 20 October 2008
by Aaron Bruns
Posts
