Joe Biden is a Good Man who gets a Bad Rap

[Firstzar]

His idea regarding Afghanistan was the right one. It is truly unfortunate that President Obama did not heed the counsel of a man who spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate, the last two as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

But oooooooooooooooooh, Biden "talks too much," he "runs off at the mouth," he makes verbal "gaffes." Translation: He does not conform to HOLLYWOOD's conception of a leader, he does not speak in terse, stoic sentences. He does not make pithy comments just before turning and walking away from some huge explosion occurring behind him, a conflagration he ignores, refusing even to look back upon it.

A country that denigrates a learned hand and wise voice because it doesn't talk like Jack Bauer is a country that has its priorities massively bassackward! (Sorry, Sarah.)

[the other one]

1. Is that you Joe?

At least someone in the WH reads DU.

[karynnj]

12. That is a cheap shot and one that I have seen often

used by the RW when I have corrected smears of John Kerry.

I don't agree that Biden's approach was the best, because the arguments against it from many independent experts was that switching to it would mean that we have less contact with locals, which would lead to worse intelligence, that was to be the basis of drone attacks.

I do agree that all of the options are bad. That was clear in teh SFRC hearings as well. No one postulated a plan that they were 100% happy with - just plans that minimized the downsides.

[Umbral]

2. He spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate as a shill for the banking industry.

With all the misery the banks have caused in the last decade, it's astounding so few mention Biden's connection to it all.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. You do realize banks are Delaware's biggest employers, right?

Is it really "shilling" if you're doing what you're supposed to do - represent the interests of your constituents?

[AspenRose]

9. I STILL don't understand why people bring that up

I've come to the conclusion that this little fact about Delaware is either unknown or ignored.

For good or for ill, there it is. There are Delaware DUers here who work in that industry!

Was Biden supposed to not support and ignore one of the largest resources Delaware has, especially to satisfy out-of-state people who don't like or trust anything about the financial sector?

It's like one of those automatic visceral knee-jerk responses along with "gaffe machine" and "hair plugs."

"Banking industry," *squawk!*

I really don't get it.

Joe gets no respect whatsoever. He gets tons from me, though.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

10. FWIW, Biden was my guy in the primaries. (nt)

[AspenRose]

11. Mine too.

[mochajava666]

18. Also supported him in the 1988 primaries

His name was dragged through the mud for not referencing a quote from British Labor leader Kinnock during a campaign stop. That campaign was dirty even before Lee Atwater stuck his evil nose into the mess with his Willie Horton ad.

BTW, Willie Horton was brought up first by my hero, Al Gore. Not one of his better moments...

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

19. The whole "plagiarism" thing was really idiotic.

He was giving a speech, not writing a research paper. And while I also admire Gore, I agree - not nearly a good moment for him.

[karynnj]

13. I would bet that there might be at least as many Delaware residents

hurt by the banking bill, than employees of the credit cards / banks who would have lost jobs or had their salaries greatly changed if those bills would have failed.

Like all politicians, Joe Biden is a mixed bag - he has some good accomplishments, but some bad ones too. His legislation on violence against women is important. His role in the confirmation hearings of both Thomas and Alito was awful. On foreign policy, he clearly has a huge amount of experience and has long term relationships, but there are Senators who seem to have clearer, more visionary foreign policy world views - including John Kerry and Dick Lugar.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

17. Would you bet having your credit fixed over having a job to pay down the debt?

I think you'd be in a serious minority if you would.

[karynnj]

20. Not what I said

What I said was that the number of people who would have faced job loss due to those bills was likely far lower than the number of people who were hurt by the bills. Now, some might be in both categories - and yeah, losing their job will be the bigger problem. Most simply are hurt by the bill. Nationwide, that bill has created a lot of pain - and Ted Kennedy spoke of the pain even with what was the existing bill then.

The fact is that it was to help the company, not all the people who work in the industry, that benefited from the bill. Not to mention, could he honestly have made the case that the bill should be passed because it would have preserved n jobs in Delaware? Now, I don't think this was unethical or that there was a quid por quo, but I don't think it can be defended as being the best for the country. (I also think nearly every Senator may have something like this - where they supported something that a local company wanted.)

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

22. I wouldn't defend it as being the best interests of the country either.

But elected representatives are charged with representing the interests of the people that elect them. Where were the Senators from the other 49 states or so in representing their constituents against the bill? It's not like Biden and Carper passed the bill on their own.

[karynnj]

23. I agree

My point still is that there were likely a large number of people represented by Biden hurt by that bill. They were his constituents too.

[PVnRT]

16. Yeah, like 90% of Congress

[AllentownJake]

3. Other than his whoring for Delaware banking

I like and respect Joe Biden.

[Orsino]

15. And he doesn't even seem to have done that to enrich himself. At all?

Makes some of his behavior all the more puzzling, but less reprehensible, I guess.

[OHdem10]

5. I agree.

[Clio the Leo]

6. Joe Biden is hot......

.... but I am unaware of anywhere in which he outlined his strategy for how to deal with the situation before today.

Regarardless of what he may have said in the Situation Room (and whether the WH released his opinion along with others as a series of trial balloons) Joe Biden's opinion on the situation is the one he gave this morning.

Joe Biden is not the type to let someone else put words in his mouth ... he might borrow someone else's words ;) ... but if he said it, he meant it.

[Odin2005]

7. Joe is a class act.

[Firstzar]

8. Then why aren't there four Recs on this Thread???

HA! :evilgrin:

[HughMoran]

14. He is a good man

I like him a lot.

[butterfly77]

21. Arianne huffington..

needs to shut her ass up,she is trying to cause friction in the whitehouse.