Biden Heads To Germany For First Trip As Vice President

WASHINGTON — Joe Biden will make his first overseas trip as vice president next week when he heads to Germany for the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy.

The White House says retired Gen. Jim Jones, President Barack Obama's national security adviser, also will attend.

Biden will address the Feb. 6-8 conference.

The gathering attracts senior government officials from around the world who often use the meeting to discuss diplomacy in an informal setting.

At the conference two years ago, then-Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed U.S. policy for inciting other countries to seek nuclear weapons to defend themselves from what he said was an "almost uncontained use of military force."

Comments

[SparkyDash]

It's good to see President Obama is taking the advice of other wise souls and utilizing Biden's foreign policy expertise. Who better than Biden? I understand this is only one of many reasons Mr. Obama tapped Biden as VP, but I hope Obama has multi-layered plans for Biden's gift of keen observation and relationsh­ip-buildin­g skills with foreign leaders. Our VP has an established trusted reputation already, and given opportunity, can help grow our nation's reputation abroad.

Biden's latest bipartisan fact-finding trip to Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan gave Obama and co. current information on the volitile area. Biden has traveled to the region on many occasions as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Keep that bond and continuity alive if it serves the Administration well.

I also agree with Boris Mamlyuk's suggestion of establishing a Biden-Putin Commission; Russia's latest volley of anti-American rhetoric is attention-getting. Russia needs and deserves established dialogue with the U.S., and Biden could be well-fitted for a lead role. Russia can be a sleeping Bear...wit­h our focus on domestic issues and the middle-east, Russia has the potential of making a surprising move or plans detrimental to our nation. Keeping a dialogue open with Putin is a good thing. Building working relationship with Russia is needed.

Keeping Biden adjunct to the administration's foreign policy team, as many have suggested, is beneficial­...don't waste talent.

Please travel safe, VP Joe Biden.

[Grace0727]

Behave in Germany Biden. Keep the jokes to a minimum and remember you are representing the a smart president. So be smart and give the lame jokes a break while you are working.

[PrincipiaChamp]

Your flippant comment about VP Biden is uncalled for and an insult to Mr. Biden and President Obama. Biden doesn't need to be schooled in foreign relations.­..he is one of the top foreign policy advisors in the administration. Mr. Biden has had his boots on the ground in countries abroad, speaking with heads of state under all conditions, for a long, long time. He is already well respected and has developed many strong relations built on integrity. President Obama is smart as he chose an honorable and brilliant statesman as his vice president.

[LALC]

Agree! Biden has been chair or co-chair of Senate Foreign Relations Committee for YEARS.
This guy knows his stuff. Believe, Obama knows ALL about his "gaffes", they were on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee together (Obama was just a newbie on it!).

Why do you think Obama chose him for VP?

[1dogs2]

Right -- no manhandling Merkel, no stuffing your face and telling another head of state (with your mouth full) that so-and-so should "quit doing that sh*t," no answering a serious question from the foreign press by asking when you get to eat pig; no telling the British Prime Minister that "the trouble with the French is they have no word for 'entrepreneur'," no behaving like a member of a black minstrel group in an African country, etc.

[SparkyDash]

no drinking before posting...­your ugliness shows every time