Joe Biden on Geroge Snuffleupagus

Aaron wrote:If you missed the interview, watch it here. There is one point where Joe very emphatically speaks of being one of 8 Senators who had access to "same intelligence the administration had."

Sort of kills the theory that the administration manipulated the intelligence and lied to America.

STEPHANOPOULOS: He says, the more you learn about threats, as you -- as you see the intelligence, the more you're going to come around to the Bush administration's point of view on their counterterrorist policies.

BIDEN: I'll make two responses to that. One, as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, unless they* were lying to me all along, I knew the details of the threat. I was one of those four people that had access to all that information, excuse me, one of those eight people the -- that had access to that information.

Secondly, I have been getting what they call that presidential briefing you get every morning from the intelligence community since the day we have been -- since the day we were elected, not sworn in.

I have learned nothing thus far that would change my view...

BIDEN: The status of forces agreement in Iraq that is negotiated between Maliki and this administration which is not at all inconsistent in principle with what Barack and I are talking about during the election.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But it is inconsistent in details because that agreement says all American troops have to be out of Iraq by 2011. You and the president-elect have said that you believe we need a residual force. Secretary Gates said it could be 40,000 troops after 2011.

BIDEN: Well, if you take a look at that agreement, the agreement allows for the incoming administration and the government of Iraq, whatever happens to be at the time these drop dead dates occur in the SOFA, to be able to look at and mutually agree that maybe something else need be done.

But look, our goal is to get American combat forces out of Iraq. That's what our goal is. And turn over responsibility to the Iraqis. And so we  but the other aspect of this that we know we're going to inherit and have to deal with is what is the political circumstance going to be left behind?

And that is, are we leaving behind the stable Iraq that has a government that has the trust of all the major factions in Iraq or not? So there's a lot of work to be done is the only point I'm making.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But The New York Times reported that, at your national security meeting this week, Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen came forward with a withdrawal plan prepared by the commanding generals. They would start the withdrawal, but they said that they could not meet the 16-month deadline called for by President-elect Obama.

Did he say, "Go back to the drawing board; come back with a plan that meets my promise"?

BIDEN: Well, I'm not going to get into detail, but the answer is, nothing was that stark at all. There is -- there isn't any -- there isn't any conclusion reached or presentation made that suggests that we cannot rationalize the -- the status-of-forces-agreement terms and the objectives of the Obama-Biden administration.

But the characterization you just made of how starkly things are presented was not -- that's not an accurate characterization.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But is he still committed to meeting that promise, all combat troops...

BIDEN: He...

STEPHANOPOULOS: ... President-elect Obama...

BIDEN: Yes, he...

STEPHANOPOULOS: ... in 16 months?

BIDEN: He is committed within the context of what he said at the time. He said he would at the time confer with the military leaders on the ground.

We will be out of Iraq in -- in the same -- in the -- in the way in which Barack Obama described his position during the campaign. That will happen.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But they are indicating to you that they can't meet the deadline he set, aren't they?

BIDEN: No. No, they're not. But I'm not going to get into the internal deliberations that we have underway now, the purpose of which is, when we are sworn in on January 20th, what is -- whether the specific elements of the plan with regard to Iraq are we going to implement? And how are we going to do that?

Aaron wrote:If you missed the interview, watch it here. There is one point where Joe very emphatically speaks of being one of 8 Senators who had access to "same intelligence the administration had."

ziggy wrote:I don't doubt that he said it, Aaron. He is noted for being an unthinking windbag.

Aaron wrote:Yes he is. And in this case he said what I've been saying for years.

ziggy wrote:
If that is what Joe Biden said, then I call Joe Biden a goddamned liar too. After all, ole' Joe has his own political ass to defend re: Iraq.

Aaron wrote:It's not propaganda when it's the plain and simple truth.

Perhaps you should take some time and learn how our government actually works.

ziggy wrote:So then Sam, are you vouching for Joe Biden's political honesty?

Aaron wrote:More of the same ole same ole I see Ziggy.