Biden, The Joint Chiefs of Gaffe, Speaks Out on Iran Before Obama
Biden, although a bit dimwitted and always good for a laugh, actually tends to tell the truth from time to time, which is not always a good thing.
I was taught that honesty is the best policy, and in most circumstances, that is the case. However, politics is an entirely different situation, especially when dealing with a foreign country. Politicians have to be more cognizant of not only what they say but when they say it.
So, although Biden was correct in his assessment of Iran’s election results, his candid statement today regarding the validity of the election was probably not the smartest thing to say. I’m sure Obama is not that happy about this:
Vice President Joe Biden, going further than any other high-ranking American official to date in questioning the validity of last Friday’s election, said Sunday that “there’s some real doubt” that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was legitimately re-elected as president of Iran.
It’s also interesting that on the same day as Biden’s statement, the European Union exclaims the following:
The Presidency of the Council of the EU closely followed the course of the Presidential elections held on 12 June 2009 and notices Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected for the second term as the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Presidency is concerned about alledged irregularities during the election process and post-electional violence that broke out immediately after the release of the official election results on 13 June 2009.
The Presidency hopes that outcome of the Presidential elections will bring the opportunity to resume the dialogue on nuclear issue and clear up Iranian position in this regard. The Presidency expects the new Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran will take its responsibility towards international community and respect its international obligations.
The EU, in essence, is recognizing the legitimacy of the Iranian elections and the new administration of Ahmadinejad. However, it calls the protests irregular, not Ahmadinejad’s win. This is one of the reasons I don’t ever want America compared to Europe – we are much better.
Biden may not have been politically correct and may have upset his boss, but I happen to personally agree with him on this one. This is technically a gaffe, because Obama has not come out in support of Biden’s statement or opinion on this issue. Obama, being the Commander in Chief is Joe Biden’s boss and should speak out on Iran’s election first. A politician has to always watch what he or she says… something that Biden has long forgotten how to do. If we find that yet again this administration contradicts itself by saying two different things, it certainly looks bad and shows a real lack of knowledge and/or leadership on how to manage a country.
The individual that we should be most concerned about is Obama – when will he say anything definitive about Iran?
Obama Pushes for Turkey’s Acceptance to the EU
Obama’s last stop on his European tour was to Turkey. During his brief stint in the country he gave another campaign/stump speech and pushed for Turkey’s acceptance into the European Union.
Some of Obama’s quotes:
“Let me say this as clearly as I can,” Obama said. “The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical … in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject.”
Calling for a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address to the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans and Muslims.
I seem to remember that in March 2003, the Turks refused to allow the U.S. Army’s 4th infantry Division to disembark there and attack into Iraq from the north. That decision left Saddam and his cronies an escape route once Baghdad fell, and ultimately cost (at least) hundreds of American lives in the insurgency that broke out later that year.
“We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the better, including my own country,” Obama said. (which country? Giggle…)
Al Jazeera and Al Arabiyia, two of the biggest Arabic satellite channels, carried Obama’s speech live.
Upon hearing of Obama’s words, President Sarkozy of France, a long time opponent of Turkey’s acceptance, said “I have always been opposed to this entry and I remain opposed.”
Sarkozy’s love-in with Obama was brief if it was even true to begin with. In layman’s terms he basically told Obama to mind his own business and leave Europe to deal with the European Union.
One of the issues that those in Europe, opposing Turkey’s acceptance, have is that Turkey would become the largest and most populated country in the Union. Their Union acts in much the same way our states do. The more populated the state, the more representatives you can have in Congress. This could mean that Turkey would have more influence over Europe because it would have more MEPs and more power over European decisions and policy-making.
Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, have deep reservations about Turkey’s acceptance. Austria and France are completely and openly against it.
Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rejected attempts to call Turkey the representative of moderate Islam. “It is unacceptable for us to agree with such a definition. Turkey has never been a country to represent such a concept. Moreover, Islam cannot be classified as moderate or not,”Erdoğan said, speaking at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies last Thursday.
Olli Rehn, the EU Enlargement Commissioner, called last week on Turkey to renew its focus on reforms to meet Union entry criteria for democracy and workers’ rights. “The pace of negotiations depends on the pace and intensity of the reforms in your country,” he said.
The Turkish press said yesterday that the country had secured concessions for dropping its objections to Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish Prime Minister, becoming the next Nato Secretary-General.
