Is it just me, or does the following quote scare anyone? For all the "fear-mongering" claims the left spews on a daily basis about the right...I think this trumps it all.
And people continue to support these blooters...
"Mark my words," the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy."
"I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate," Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. "And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right."
~Joe Biden~
Follow-Up Link:
Very troubling...
How Much Time Do We Have Before a New War in the Epicenter?
7 comments:
Sounds reasonable.
To paraphrase Biden: The likelihood of an international crisis arising in the first six months of an Obama administration (I think it would be rather naive to believe nothing major will happen before June/July of next year) is high. Barack Obama and I are ready to handle whatever crisis may arise during our time in office. The way we respond my not be the way you're used to (in the past 8 years of foreign policy) but we will act in the best interests of the United States and the world. We are asking you to carefully consider our actions and support our foreign policy decisions."
That sounds like a pretty general statement that could come out of the McCain campaign too. It's pretty much, "we are more than capable of responding to international crises anywhere in the world. The administration is going to need the support of the American people (unlike Bush apparently) to be successful."
Doesn't seem too inflammatory to me.
Who knows what he is talking about. An Israeli strike on Iran or vice versa. Palestinian elections and a subsequent unilateral Palestinian declaration of independence (unlikely, but certainly possible), summit meetings with Iran, Venezuela, or Russia, the ending of the boycott of Cuba, the release of Guantanamo detainees, or significant international action in Darfur. I don't think Biden is talking about all-out global war here but an international incident of some nature that will test Obama. His point is that the administration will be up for the challenge and prepared from day one. The McCain campaign has been making similar statements for months.
This is just generic politics here. Nothing to see, move along.
Typical liberal response...
I'll use your own words as my response to your comments:
"This is just generic politics here. Nothing to see, move along."
Excuse me?
Your blog post failed to explain why this is fear-mongering. Wouldn't you agree it's naive to assume absolutely nothing will happen in the next nine months that would warrant some sort of US diplomatic response?
You love your stereotypes too, don't you, "typical liberal response..."
If John McCain would have said these EXACT words, liberals would be suggesting that McCain was "saber rattling, calling for World War III, singing a song about bombing Iran, advancing armageddon, threatening the Middle East, extending the Iraq War, etc."
The double-standard is comical...
I would define fear-mongering as the following:
Replacement of reasoned debate about a serious issue with sensationalism or hyperbole in order to arouse unwarranted fear and garner political support.
I don't think Biden's statement fits that definition. Biden is informing supporters in Washington state that an Obama administration will be prepared from day one to deal with any international crises that may arise.
Obama called McCain and Bush to account for fear-mongering after they compared his willingness to meet with high-level Iranian officials to appeasement of the Nazis.
Another example: Instead of going by our own intelligence and a virtual flotilla of experts on Iran and conflicts in the Middle East, McCain still asserts that Iran is a massive threat to US interests in Iraq and to the very existence of Israel. That's sensationalist and hyperbolic right there, and thus fear-mongering. McCain just kicked aside the intelligence community and plowed ahead with his own gut feeling on Iran.
Before I forget, Colin Powell had some great insight on the fear-mongering of McCain as it relates to the Ayers connection and his recent campaigning.
That's coming from a guy who knows a thing or two about fear-mongering (RE: lying to the UN about the threat of Iraqi WMDs).
Josh,
Let me just say this:
I do not need a definition of fear-mongering.
Thank you for your expertise though.
And, of course Biden's comments do not fit into your "definition" of fear-mongering. That's a silly assumption to begin with. But, we both know, no matter how many times you deny it or spin it, the liberal media would have had a firestorm with that remark coming from McCain.
Colin Powell?. Does it really matter? Honestly? How many former Sec. of States does McCain have? 4 or 5? Big deal. Of course Powell would have arbitrary things to say about McCain. It came right AFTER he gave his endorsement. That endorsement has been in the works for months. Powell has been telegraphing that for sometime now. The guy that helped send us to war is now supporting the guy who never wanted us there. Obama can't seem to stop those Bush/McCain accusations, now he's making his own ties.
This conversation has gone on for too long. My post was to the point and shows yet another double-standard regarding the media and Joe "The Mouth" Biden. What is it, a gaffe a week now?
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