Biden: "Mubarak... I would not refer to him as a dictator."

[JCMach1]

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Backchannels/2011/0127/Joe-Biden-says-Egypt-s-Mubarak-no-dictator-he-shouldn-t-step-down

Let it be noted, the Obama administration is on the wrong side of history here. The Arab world is certainly paying attention!

:grr:

[hlthe2b]

1. They are caught flat-footed right now...

They think they are being "cautious," as it is not at all clear there will be a good outcome from this, no matter how you cut it.

What's the sense in the Emirates? Things calm there, I assume.

[JCMach1]

2. With only 20% of the population being Nationals, things are peaceful... Indian and Western expats

are interested in getting paid, not revolution.

Also, the small gulf states are propping up any unrest with subsidies. Kuwait just had a HUGE free giveaway to its citizens.

[hlthe2b]

3. LOL.. I imagine so... I'm guessing the Saudi royalty are less calm...

watching all of this....

[JCMach1]

4. Saudi has a big enough population (and discrimination) that there is an underclass there

So yeah, the Saudis have a bigger problem.

[roguevalley]

9. Biden is wrong. He is. I wish for once that our side woutd not lie

or act stupid or be on the wrong side in one of these for a change. You're wrong, Biden. Man up or say nothing.

[Enthusiast]

5. Biden is simply wrong again. nt

[Donald Ian Rankin]

6. Biden doesn't have the luxury of being right.

There's a good chance that Mubarak will stay in power, remember. Governments can't afford to stop being diplomatic.

[Recursion]

7. This means the administration thinks Mubarak's regime will survive this

Sigh

[Jennicut]

11. Some dictators fall, some give up power and some cling tightly and hang in there.

Dictators don't always fall easily. What the administration has to do is play it both ways...as Obama said the other day, violence is not the answer . Mubarek is a dictator but he is our dictator and one we have to work with if he stays in power. I would rather stick to diplomacy...I am sure many Repubs would love to go after any dictator in the middle east that exists. Not me.

[karynnj]

8. I think this is partially Biden';s way of speaking imprecisely

Look at the entire paragraph:

"Asked if he would characterize Mubarak as a dictator Biden responded: “Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things. And he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interest in the region, the Middle East peace efforts; the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing relationship with – with Israel. … I would not refer to him as a dictator.

There is NO doubt that Mubarak is a dictator - there never has been. It seems what Biden is saying is that he is "our" dictator. Everything that he lists has NOTHING to do with whether he is a dictator, but is a list of where he has boon on "our" side. He then says he would not REFER to him as a dictator. (Yes, I know this is as convoluted as the definition of "is", but saying he would not refer to him as a dictator does not mean that he thinks he is not a dictator.)

i agree with others that if we defend Mubarak, we could place ourselves on the wrong side of history.

I wonder what the relationship of any of our leaders is to El Baradei. He seems to be a possible future leader.

[displacedvermoter]

10. And there never was any Armenian Genocide at the hands of

our Turkish allies! And Indonesia is a good friend and there are no civil rights problems there!

Nothing to see here, move along, as they say.

[vaberella]

12. What's Mubarak's origins and how was he elected? Those in effect define Dictator as well. n/t

[karynnj]

15. He took over after Saddat was assinated

Even if he were elected by the most Democratic process imaginable, if he then - in the 29 years he has been in office - never allowed another party to operate and rigged elections, he would still be a dictator.

He is a dictator - here, Biden should have just left off the last sentence - in essence not answering the question, but listing his value to the US. This was also not a gaffe - Biden was clearly intending to defend Mubarak.

[jeanpalmer]

13. Way to sound ridiculous again

Of course he's a dictator.

[treestar]

14. How do we know, it is still shaking out

He looks like a dictator to me, but my expertise on Egypt comes from wikipedia.

[tekisui]

16. It has been 'shaking out' for three fucking decades.

This isn't an ambiguous judgment call. He is a dictator.

[hulka38]

30. Clearly a case of Fonze syndrome.

The inability to say Obama or Biden was wrrr.... wr...wwwwrroo....wwowwrrr...wowwowwow....wwwwwwrrrroooooonnggg.

[MisterP]

17. freaking warmongering MBNA-serving defective Zig Ziglar clone nt

[CreekDog]

18. I would refer to him as a dictator

i guess i'm not powerful or important enough to feel the need to call him anything other than what everyone thinks he is.

[Union Scribe]

19. Biden is so mushy

He couldn't come down hard if he fell out of an airplane with a boner.

[pampango]

20. Joe, you may have to observe diplomatic niceties, but something major better be going on

behind the scenes.

[AngryAmish]

21. Joe, get a nice comfy chair somewhere and sit down.

Read a book. Have a nice cup of tea.

And stay the fuck away from cameras and microphones. You are not helping.

Maybe find that secure, undisclosed location where Cheney hid.

[rpannier]

22. Of course he isn't a dictator

In 1981 he was elected to his first 37 year term.
He still has 7 years left before he has to run again

[edsmeal]

23. Leave it to Joe to gaffe.

Im sure he did not really mean it.

[RandomKoolzip]

24. But he got 95% of the vote in the last election! Dictator's aren't that popular!

[Leithan]

25. America supporting dictators???

No way! We'd NEVER do something like that!

[jillan]

26. This is the WHOLE quote before it was cherry picked:

Asked if he would characterize Mubarak as a dictator Biden responded: “Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things. And he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interest in the region, the Middle East peace efforts; the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing relationship with – with Israel. … I would not refer to him as a dictator.”

We don't know how things in Egypt are going to turn out, do we? I'm sure world leaders are all sitting on pins and needles watching this.
There is a fine line for world leaders to walk when it comes to diplomacy.

And when it comes to Biden, he has no problem calling someone a dictator to their face, as he has done in the past.

[CreekDog]

27. context makes it sounds like: "i wouldn't call him a dictator because he's our ally."

you know, i don't think that's much better. :rofl:

[rpannier]

28. +1 nt

[Name removed]

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