Biden Accuses Bush of Misleading on Iraq
The disconnect between the administration’s rhetoric and the reality on the ground has opened not just a credibility gap, but a credibility chasm. Standing right in the middle of that chasm are 139,000 American troops _ some in their third rotations.
- Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE)
What is it about Capitol Hill Deomcrats that renders them into a sheep-like state, incapable of voicing their opposition to Our Sainted President- until they decide to run for President? Delaware’s Joe Biden is hardly a stranger to the Presidential campaign trail, but he has been disturbingly silent about the issues important to those of us on the Left. Now that he is once again running for President, though, suddenly we are to believe that he has morphed into BRAVE DEFENDER OF THE REALM?? WTF? And what rock have you been hiding under since 9.11, Senator??
Biden has become complicit in the clusterf—k that is the war in Iraq through his silence. When presented with opportunities to speak out, Biden stayed in the background. When he had a chance to speak truth to power, Biden kept his own counsel. Now, of course, he is running for President, he is shocked…SHOCKED…that American soldiers are losing their lives in a senseless and seemingly endless war. Who knew?? Judging by his silence, certainly not Joe Biden.
Hey…is “OPPORTUNIST” spelled with one “p” or two??
[Biden] said Bush should level with voters about the stakes and risks in Iraq and push to get allies more involved in security and reconstruction efforts. While the address broke little new ground, it was arguably the first campaign speech of the 2008 race.
Bush’s political team fired back. “Sen. Biden’s gloomy view of the significant progress made in Iraq should earn him the title of pessimist in chief,” said Tracey Schmitt, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.
Oh, how silly of me to have forgotten the ground rules. Those who are not universally and unwaveringly in support of George W. Bush’s war are guilty of overt pessimism and…GASP!!!!…not “supporting the troops.”
And as far as “progress” in Iraq goes, let’s take stock, shall we?
Despite questionably fair and open elections, the Iraqi government is hardly a powerful entity. At this point, it is a government in name only.
What little power the Iraqi government does wield is severely proscribed in large portions of the country. The rule of law?? You’re kidding, right?
The drumbeat of car bombs continues unabated and on a virtually daily basis.
Iraqi security forces, while their capabilities ARE growing, control only the ground they happen to be occupying at a particular moment in time. Insurgents still rule everything else through fear and intimidation.
American soldiers still go on patrol daily wondering if they will become a statistic, the victim of an enemy they generally cannot even see. So far, more than 1700 Americans have become the victims of a war whose purpose no one- least of all anyone in the Bush Administration- can adequately explain.
On Sunday, the blunt-speaking Biden said he plans to seek the Democratic presidential nomination unless he decides later this year that he can’t win. At least 20 Democrats and Republicans are considering entering the unusually wide-open field, but no politician has gone as far as Biden to advance his or her candidacy.
Opening with an assurance that he was not being political, Biden said he hoped that Bush would take his advice so that he could succeed in Iraq. “George Bush is our president. We have one president at a time,” Biden said. “He is the president, and nobody is running against George Bush.”
He can’t run against Bush, who is term-limited, but Biden does have his eye on several potential Democratic candidates including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. Democrats say she would begin the race as the clear favorite, and top Republicans close to the White House say her candidacy would be formidable.
Yes, Joe Biden does have a reputation for speaking bluntly. It’s something we have seen damn little of since 9.11, though. Now that Biden is running for President, he has appparently determined that it is once again safe to speak his mind. Lord knows he wouldn’t want to be accused of not “supporting the troops”, eh?
There was a time when Joe Biden would have automatically had my unwavering support. There was also a time when I admired Biden’s ability and willingness to speak out on issues in blunt terms. Since 9.11, though, Biden has been strangely and disturbingly silent. If he had not decided to once again run for President, would we even be hearing from one of the Senate’s veterans?
At this point in time, Biden has a lot of work to do to convince me that he is not merely just another opportunistic politician looking to seize the brass ring that is the Presidency. A Biden Presidency has some promise, and it would certainly be an improvement over the mediocrity currently inhabiting the Oval Office. Nonetheless, I’m not sold, and I’m not certainl that Joe Biden has what it takes to get me to line up behind him.
A bit late in coming to the cause, aren’t we??
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