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.
"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."
Biden warns everyone to "gird their loins."
My heavens, Biden just gave everyone one perfect reason for why it is dangerous to vote for him to be president.
Voting Obama in will increase our risk for an "incident" and his inexperience will guarantee that folks will not agree with his handling of the predicted (by Biden no less) "crisis."
There is a hundred different things I could say to this, but let us look at a few reactions from around the web.
Hot Air:
Isn’t this an argument for electing someone with more experience? Why should we elect a man who will embolden our enemies and push us to the brink of disaster? Biden seems convinced that electing John McCain will make our enemies abroad much less sanguine about provoking us — which is one of the best arguments yet heard for electing McCain.
Even worse, Biden admits that an Obama administration will likely fumble the ball. “It’s not going to be apparent that we’re right.” Really? Why not? I’d say that Biden admits that Obama will deviate from long-held principles of American foreign policy and diplomacy, and expects to reap a whirlwind of disapproval because of that. Where will that be most likely to occur, given Obama’s previous political alliances with people like Rashid Khalidi?
Let’s not forget the example that Biden himself uses here. John Kennedy got tested because he met with Nikita Khrushchev with “no preconditions”. Kennedy acknowledged afterwards that it was an “unmitigated disaster“:
Commentary Magazine:
Biden is saying two things about an Obama presidency: first, that Obama will be tested by America’s rivals; and second, that Obama’s response to such a test will likely be unpopular with the American people. Presumably Biden does not believe that the reason for that unpopularity will be because Obama is too decisive or too tough with our enemies — it will be because Obama is perceived as too soft and indecisive in a crisis.
This is the moment when Biden is asking Obama supporters to “stand with him,” even if he appears to be channeling Jimmy Carter. Biden says that it will not be “apparent initially that we’re right.” But does he think that the passage of time has vindicated Jimmy Carter?
Confederate Yankee:
Good grief.
Has any Vice President in U.S. electoral history ever made it more clear that his running mate is completely unfit for the office that he seeks?
And if Biden dosn't have faith in Obama, why should the rest of us?
PowerLine:
Biden's statement is a prediction of the future and thus is subject to some uncertainty. Only time will tell, but surely Biden's is on solid ground with his prediction. Biden's prediction is thus what Michael Kinsley defines as a gaffe. According to Kinsley, a gaffe occurs "when a politician tells the truth." Kinsley has subsequently explained that "A gaffe is what happens when the spin breaks down."
Last year Kinsley himself accorded Biden the honor of his recognition for being the author of a Kinsley gaffe regarding Obama. Biden has now topped himself, as only Biden can, with a gaffe that constitutes a timely warning that deserves wide notice among the voting public.
Just One Minute:
Oh, great - so per Biden, after Obama gets the 3 AM phone call we will all think he blew it. I deplore this negative, attack-oriented campaigning. C'mon, Joe, give me a reason to Go With O!
Hmm - people deplored similar fear-mongering from Hillary and Rudy. Seasons change.
Weekly Standard:
I don't think anyone has ever accused Joe Biden of being "fasely humble", but at least he has a high enough IQ to realize he ought to shut up after he saw a reporter in the back of the room: "I probably shouldn't have said all this because it dawned on me that the press is here."
Then again, I probably shouldn't give Biden such a hard time. Perhaps he just helped sound the alarm for voters to take another look at Obama and let pre-election buyers' remorse set in. Is Obama really the one we want facing down these threats?
Perfunction, who also has a portion of Biden's idiocy on video:
On the very same day that Colin Powell's endorsement supposedly calmed the nerves of those worried about Obama's foreign policy inexperience, running mate Joe Biden makes the counter-argument --- God love 'im:
The Jawa Report gets right to the heart of the issue:
Stunning in its stupidity....just freaking WOW!
Find more blog reaction at memeorandum.
Well, you might also notice when you click the memeorandum link that the liberals, the Obama supporters, are completely ignoring Biden's words, they are praying he and his big mouth will just go away.
First Obama tells "Joe the plumber" the truth about his plans for socialism and now Biden tells the truth in how dangerous an Obama presidency will be and that Obama's response to an "international crisis" won't be popular or even correct.
WOW, talk about making your opponents case for them!!!
Keep up the good work Joe, we luv ya!!!
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