Joe Biden: Dem Rivals "Not Making Sense" On Bhutto Murder

Council Bluffs, Iowa - Presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden took the occasion of the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto to chide his Democratic rivals as too inexperienced to be president and to tout his own foreign policy credentials.

"Observe what's been going on in Pakistan and you'll see not many candidates have spoken out," Biden said. "And those few who have spoken don't make a lot of sense."

Biden made his remarks Thursday night to an audience of about 150 supporters gathered at the Elks Lodge in this small city abutting Nebraska.

Biden didn't single out any of his rivals by name in deriding their statements on Pakistan. But calling "nuclear-riddled" Pakistan an "emerging, urgent crisis," the veteran Delaware senator suggested that among the Democratic contenders he alone was best suited to deal with dangerous global affairs.

In a post-event interview with The Huffington Post, Biden at first refused to specify which candidate he was referring to when he said they weren't making sense on Pakistan. He noted that front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, both of whom issued brief statements earlier in the day lamenting Bhutto's murder, were "both good people" but didn't have his breadth of foreign policy experience.

When further pressed on the issue, Biden singled out second-tier candidate Bill Richardson as an example of a candidate putting forth simplistic responses to the Pakistani crisis. "Richardson said that [Pakistani President] Musharraf should step down and make way for a coalition government," Biden said. "But what coalition? There isn't any. What's he talking about?"

The assassination of Bhutto, Biden told HuffPost, was one more symptom of what he called a "dyslexic" U.S. foreign policy. "We've got things backwards," he said. "Our policy in Afghanistan where we haven't devoted enough resources to fight Al Qaeda has only encouraged the same extremists in Pakistan."

Biden devoted most of his two-hour appearance to lengthy presentations of various "Biden plans" to solve thorny international issues.

"You know a lot of people make jokes about me running really running for Secretary of State," he told the crowd who peppered him with questions on foreign policy issues ranging from Russia to the Middle East to Afghanistan. "I'm not. I'm running for President. But I would ask you: 'How many of you are willing to vote for a candidate not able to be Secretary of State?'"

"I know many of the world leaders for the last 30 years. Not because I'm and important guy. But because I came up with them," he said referring to his long-time leadership position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "It's not hyperbole to suggest the rest of the world is waiting for an American president to be elected who can connect the dots. And I can."

Check out the rest of HuffPost's Iowa coverage.

Comments

[ANewVoice]

Get 'em Joe !

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Open challenge to the mass of Obama supporters:

While boosting Obama, please cite how his prospective policies and past positions compare to the other candidates you're knocking.

Otherwise, "none of the above" doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Leadership is more than saying, "I'll be different."

Thanks.

[Pete Ross]

Biden, who as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, does have a much better understanding of foreign policy than most of the other candidates.
Although a bit of a renegade he would certainly make a good president, far more experienced in foreign affairs than most, with the possible exception of Richardson, if foreign relations was the only factor on which you wish to judge who would make the best, most experienced president.

Personally, I think domestic affairs rates equally as high as foreign affairs, and that's where Biden tends to lose me.

Obama has experience in neither.
While a great orator, and while apparently extremely intelligent, I don't think Obama's time has yet come. Maybe next time, but not now.

Hillary has both, and has the added advantage of having Bill as her chief adviser - a live in adviser, which is very attractive to me, and Bill being back in the White house in whatever capacity, will drive the right wing absolutely bonkers! As far as I am concerned, Hillary is the most intelligent and aggressive candidate, and, considering everything overall, would make the best president of all the fine Democratic hopefuls running for the candidacy.

Any of the Democratic candidates running for the Democratic nomination would be infinitely better than any of the Republican Bush acolytes or Ron Paul, whose only attractive position is to get out of Iraq. Other than that, his ultra libertarian positions on everything else would destroy our federal government, which we need fully functioning and completely enabled in these challenging times.

[SEQUOIABISON]

Below are just a few reasons why I will not be supporting Biden in the primaries.

Having observed him on numerous Senate committees as a ranking member and as Chairman, he seems to this dyed in the wool Liberal, to be long-winded and Republican Lite.

He is the author of Drug laws that are Draconian, he actually wrote the anti drug laws and established a Drug Czar.

JOE BIDEN VOTING RECORD
· Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)

· Rated 60% by the ACLU, indicating a mixed civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002

· Rated 36% by NARAL, indicating a mixed voting record on abortion. (Dec 2003)

· Rated 0% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-choice stance. (Dec 2006)

· Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping. (Oct 2001)

· Voted YES on reforming bankruptcy to include means-testing & restrictions. (Mar 2005)

· Voted YES on Strengthening of the trade embargo against Cuba. (Mar 1996)

· Voted YES on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act. (Mar 2006)

· Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)

· Voted NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007. (Jun 2006)

· Voted YES on authorizing use of military force against Iraq. (Oct 2002)

· Voted YES on welfare overhaul. (Sep 1995)

While I think Biden would be a good cabinet member (State or Defense) I do not think he would make a great liberal progressive leader.

Lets have a fresh new start support OBAMA.

[Harrier]

While I agree with Biden on this. I have a question for him. When was the last Presidental election he didn't run in

[lastams]

On every debate Biden seems to be the one making sense. He also has a personality forged from a generation in the Senate that allows him to go toe to toe with the RNC in what is sure to be an election steeped in lies and mudslinging and fraud.
This all begs the question, why does the media dislike Joe Biden?
At this point in the election cycle, one has to wonder if the polls are driving the news or the news is driving the polls, but one thing is for certain, the corporate owned media is making sure that Senator Joe Biden is NOT a frontrunner.

[cruisepuppy7452a]

Serious question for those who are questioning Biden's ethics. How can anyone not trust this man? If you look beyond the iraqi vote that virtually all of the senate voted on, (thanks to lies by the Bush administration, grounds for treason I might add), you would see Biden was one of the most vocal in speaking up for the American people. Show me how many times Hillary appeared at Scooter Libby's trial, or the 911 hearings. Show me how many times any of them except Biden appeared at the CIA hearings by former CIA agents? Anyone? Only Biden was there with Kennedy and others to question what was really going on. You can call the man a career politico, but before you do so, know, this man served on the senate during several presidencies. Who better has knowledge, insights, expirience to be president than Biden? Nobody. Biden wins, you will see Bush go to trial with cheney, rove, and rumsfeld. You will see facts you never heard about 911, the iraqi war, the Clinton scandal come to the surface. Why? the man is honest as hell. He wants the public to see and hear what has been going on. He isn't another republican. He is more old school dem than you want to know. You will see impeachment and treason charges if he wins, that you can count on.

[Tellmethetruth]

So far in the last two months Biden has been right on the Middle 3 times - to Bush's zero.

Iran - didn't have WMDs - Biden called Cheney and Bush's threats to expand the war to Iran by threatening to impeach.

Iraq - Biden got his resolution passed by Congress and sits on GW Bush's desk. Biden did what Bush has never been able to do, get consensus of the UN, the Middle East countries including talking to Syria, and getting bi-partisan support in Congress regarding Iraq.

Pakistan - Biden has been the prophet on Pakistan for years - but his recent Pakistan proposals he wrote in November seem eerie now because had they been listened to, there would have been no assassination, and the world would not be in the serious mess because of Pakistan.

Biden right three times in two months - showing us the way to end a war, prevent an assassination, and prevent another war expansion. How convinced must voters be before others begin to notice???? Biden is the one.

[CindyKay]

Here is the Rest of the Message.

Back home, we were aware that only one Democratic candidate for President, Senator Joe Biden, kept his promises to us that he would fight for the funds needed to produce Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles which dramatically reduce the number of casualties from improvised explosive devices (IED's). When other presidential candidates were going back on their word to support those of us in harm's way, only Senator Biden remained steadfast in his support, regardless of any political consequences.

While still on the ground in Iraq, many of us from Iowa resolved that we would go back home and stand up for Senator Biden – just as he stood up for us on the floor of the United State Senate. We want to help make sure that our troops still in Iraq will have the best Commander in Chief possible on inauguration day in 2009.

We also support Senator Biden because he is the only candidate with the vision and the courage to come forward with a comprehensive and realistic plan to exit Iraq without leaving the region behind in mass disorder. It is clear that we need new leadership and a new approach to allow us to start withdrawing our troops.

I hope that you and thousands of other Iowa veterans will join with me in working to nominate and elect Senator Joe Biden as our 44th President. No one else possesses his depth of knowledge and experience in foreign affairs as well as the vision for restoring America's proper place in the world community. Please join us in a noble cause.

Sincerely,

James D. Mowrer
State Coordinator, Iowa Veterans for Biden.

[CindyKay]

Here ia a Message from One of Our Troops , Please Read This.
WELCOME TO IOWA VETERANS FOR BIDEN
When I was mobilized with the Iowa National Guard's 1st Battalion of the 133rd Infantry based in Waterloo for Operation Iraqi Freedom in October of 2005, I knew that we were embarking on a long and difficult mission. After being extended four months, and mobilized for a total of 22 months, we returned to Iowa in July 2007 to an emotional homecoming.

More than 600 of us were part of the longest serving unit since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. During our 16 months on the ground in Iraq, we witnessed massive waste by government contractors who abused their no-bid contracts with the Pentagon. While private contractors bled the U. S. Treasury with little oversight, soldiers and Marines died because they lacked proper equipment and the newest life saving vehicles.

[caywen]

People should review Biden in previous debates before they go running their big mouths:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWZm_puicBQ

Almost all the other candidates answered with Iran because that's been in the headlines. They chose poorly.

[llozano]

Why can't the candidates just say "Let's get all the facts in before I shoot my mouth off and show my ignorance." They are all so anxious to prove they now what they are talking about that it becomes obvious they do not have a clue. This is the same kind of thinking that got us in this mess in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and in other places. I would prefer a candidate that at least waited to get his facts straight and consulted with people in the know than to try to prove their statesmanship when they have nothing to show.

[samuraijack]

I for one am not ready to break out the "Saint Benazir" Holy Cards just yet. She seemed a little too crass and conniving. She knew that coming back would incite violence, then blamed the government for not protecting her. Many innocent people died at her "rallies". She could have kept a lower campaign profile, maybe even phoned it in. Jack Out.

[Zhonni]

Biden risk looking like a phony if he repeats this line again!

He needs to talk about why he is making the most sense or why he is making sense.

I cringe everytime he says "what are they talking about...", in the debates, as if everybody else is a buffoon but for himself.

I have said this before and I'll say it again, if Biden wants to knock off Clinton as the "most experienced candidate", he will have to say that Clinton is not being forthright when she says she is the most experienced.

If he can't say that, he needs to drop out because he doesn't stand a chance if Hillary is perceived to be the most experienced.

[nellie]

I never know what to make of Biden. He seems very substantial and thoughtful. Although I don't like his Iraq plan—from what I read, Iraqis don't want to be partitioned. They just want the U.S. to go home. But I feel like he needs more attention from the media. I think he offers something quite different from the three frontrunners—and I'm an Edwards supporter—something we should pay attention to.