Joe Biden went on "This Week," George Stephanopoulos's show Sunday, and said Israel has a "sovereign right" to go after Iran. JTA saw Biden's comments as giving a "green light" to Israel. So did Haaretz.
When asked whether the Obama administration would restrain Israeli military action against Iran, Biden responded:
"Israel can determine for itself - it's a sovereign nation - what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else."
Stephanopoulos posed the question three times, and each time Biden repeated that Israel was free to choose its actions. "If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice."
Today Obama said that the U.S. is "absolutely not" giving Israel a green light. Yesterday the White House said that Biden's comments don't represent a shift in policy, though Laura Rozen says they could "increase the uncertainty in Tehran."
Though here is Biden's line in the LA Times in April: "Biden warns Israel off any attack on Iran:"
In the interview, Biden was asked whether he was concerned that Netanyahu might strike Iranian nuclear facilities. "I don't believe Prime Minister Netanyahu would do that. I think he
would be ill advised to do that," Biden said.
Writes Mohammad of Vancouver:
Is it clear now... why the west fell in love with Iran and put it in the news in June? To make Iran look bad so Israel can up the threats. Here comes the real voice of Obama administration? Why is he speaking again? Threats must stop. Negotiations must begin.
Stephanopoulis makes a character transformation when speaking about Israel now. And Biden's ego and his self-assuredness prevents him from seeing his own flaws. Biden is known to be a liability and that is why he placed below the 5% mark in the democraticprimaries of 2008.
Maybe Biden was drunk? Obama must have known he was an inconsistent blabbermouth (and plagiarist ) before becoming VP. Personally I think Biden is totally cynical. He thinks others are simply props for him to flim flam–he's about as sincere has his hair plogs. Maybe he and Obama are playing good cop-bad cop–if so, the question is for what longer term agenda they've agreed on? Which customer is getting the real snake oil?
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Biden screwed up big. Hopefully, what he meant was "Israel's actions are Israel's responsility" more than implying that the US has no opinion on the matter.
Haaretz has put out a couple of articles now saying there was no green light + that the Israeli political establishment didn't hear it that way or else they'd be making more of it: link to haaretz.com
Joe Biden has a long history of speaking before thinking. His statement was ridiculous on its face; no country has the right to attack its neighbors. Obama needs to keep his VP on a tight leash.
I agree!
Joe Biden has declared himself a Zionist on many occasions. He's also bragged about Delaware's Copperhead (Confederate sympathizer) tendencies. In other words, Biden is an upfront racist. (He's also a plagiarizer, idiot, and a bumbler, which explains, but doesn't excuse, his actions.) The only question remaining is whether Biden is a Zionist useful idiot; or whether they have something on him. Probably both. Hey Biden, go suck on Pollard's cock, you fucking traitor!
Ha, deepthoat it Joe, you half-wit salesman.
RE: "Israel can determine for itself – it's a sovereign nation – what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else." – Joe Biden, 07/05/09 MY COMMENT: Does Biden mean to imply that Israel is not encumbered by international law including the Geneva Conventions ratified by Israel? What about the U.S.? So whenever one nation decides another nation is an “existential threat” (even if as a result of its own bad intelligence or paranoia) then it is ‘bombs away’? I know that Biden is a self-proclaimed “Zionist”, but really! PS. Is it possible that “Loose Lips” Biden is channeling “Bonkers” Bolton? “Enquiring minds want to know!”
Three points: 1) Joe Biden is an idiot. 2) Zionism is still official US policy, unfortunately. 3) The coup government of Iran does not need Western media to make it look bad, it's done quite a fine job of it by itself. Why is "Mohammad of Vancouver" such an authority on Mondoweiss? It's embarrassing. Quote someone who knows something, like Hamid Dabashi, not some conspiracy-theory hatching kid who thinks the proletariat of Iran is in love with Ahmadinejad, the Muslim Chavez.
I thought Joe Biden was a normal person at one point. They certainly tried to make him sound humble in the 2008 campaign. What a stooge. Here's a guy who can defend the American way but turns a blind eye to this issues of Paelstine/Israel occupation. He could help Barak more, but he only cares about sounding good.
Again, I don't agree with Mohammad. I'd advise all to watch the video in question. Stephanopoulos clearly leads Biden down the garden path. Strictly, I think the NYT (others?) started this attempt at agenda setting. Netanyahu talks, Obama listens and than parrots Netanyahu's lines. http://abcnews.go.com/search?searchtext=Stephanop... Obama Tells Netanyahu He Has an Iran Timetable I'll copy from Patrick Lang's blog where I posted this too. R. Whitman, my impression is a bit that Stephanopoulos carefully leads him to these answers, and I don't think the Israeli press, in this case Haaretz misrepresents that, Clifford. Why does an American journalist not question the agreement between Obama and Netanjahu to start with? Was there a White house press release that emphasized this agreement? Direct Video link: http://abcnews.go.com/search?searchtext=Stephanop... Or via ABC search Stephanopoulos+Biden http://abcnews.go.com/search?searchtext=Stephanop... Iran starts around -41:13, the essential question leading to the answer including Stephanopoulos insistence on Biden's answer is at: -37:00. Stephanopoulos: Meanwhile the clock is ticking. … Meanwhile Prime Minister Netanjahu made it pretty clear that he agreed with President Obama till the end of the year for this whole process of engagement to work. After that he is prepared to take matters into his own hands.
Irony alert: Netanyahu talks, Obama listens and than parrots Netanyahu's lines.
Biden wasn't giving Israel any green light. It's just that every time he speaks before a Jewish group his natural instinct is to pander. He just slips his brain in neutral and plays one of those "Israel today, tomorrow and forever" tapes he's been playing for years.
Witty: "Hopefully, what [Biden] meant was "Israel's actions are Israel's responsility" more than implying that the US has no opinion on the matter. "The problem here goes beyond the principle though. We give Israel all sorts of aid. The F-16s and F-15s carrying out the bulk of the attack would be U.S.-made. They might pass through Iraqi airspace that the U.S. effectively controls. Historical U.S. support for Israel means that people around the world reasonably hold Americans responsible for what Israel does to Iran." http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/07/06/bidens-... Witty, the Israel lobby sees to it that Israel's actions become America's responsibility and liability. They have attached the Israelis to the US so that we suffer the consequences of their actions. Just look at 9/11. This dynamic was done by design.
Biden is such an incredible baffoon, why do weirdos go into politics? I'll never forget how MalcomX described many not by name in his autobiography. Just the sickest of the sickest.
Damn, I just answered my own question. Phil's been posting stuff by "Mohammad of Vancouver," Ahmadinejad's Canadian spokesman, for ages now. I found this lovely gem on the anniversary of the revolution: "In Iran, you can have whatever opinions or lifestyle that you like, as long as you are careful about keeping them all within the confinement of your private life." Think long and hard about that sentence. Until mind-reading machines are invented, is the above statement meaningful in any possible way? And before any knee-jerk "Here no evil about enemies of Western imperialism" geniuses here bark at me, I will fight to the death anybody who tries to invade my homeland of Iran, and so will 70 million other people. However, Ahmadinejad and Khamenei are traitors and criminals who need to hang. And defending Iran from Israeli attack does not mean kissing the current coup regime's ass. That's why I hope Biden, Obama, the American neo-cons, and the fake leftists who have no idea what is going on in Iran will all shut up for 10 minutes and defer to people like Dabashi who know something about Iran.
If it WAS a mistake, why hasn't Obama come out to repudiate such an idiotic and acutely dangerous statement?
AN EXCELLENT POST BY TONY KARON, 07/07/07: “Obama Slouching Towards an Iran War?” (EXCERPT) …The idea that the U.S. can do nothing to stop Israel from attacking Iran, without provocation, in violation of international law and norms, on the basis of a perceived threat, is the equivalent of the U.S. saying that out of respect for Iran’s sovereignty, it couldn’t act to stop Tehran from attacking Israel should it deem such action necessary on the basis of a perceived threat. It’s precisely this absurdity that had most of the Middle East reading Biden’s “sovereignty” comments as a fig leaf for green-lighting an Israeli attack on Iran… ENTIRE POST – http://tonykaron.com/2009/07/07/obama-slouching-t...
He's one of Obama's many bad choices . most of my family and freinds wont vote for him again.I remember,after i left the voting center last nov.I sat on the curb and said to my wife,"I feel terrible.I can't believe I voted for Obama." I Was happy he won,But never felt right.I stopped listenung to his lectuers.Nothing new.God I miss Bush.At least I could laugh my ass of at him.
If Israel were to attack Iran it would do so using US weapons for the assault. This would be a clear violation of the US ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT of 1976: "The Arms Export Control Act of 1976 … requires governments that receive weapons from the United States to use them for legitimate self-defense." Congressman Kucinich has raised the issue in the context of the Gaza Pogrom: In January 2009, Congressman Dennis Kucinich sent notice to Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, that Israel’s actions in Gaza since December 27th, 2008 may constitute a violation of the requirements of the Arms Export Control Act. When the President is aware of the possibility of such violations, the AECA requires a report to Congress on the potential violation(s). [4]" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_Export_Control_... But this is not a country of laws now. And don't expect more from this administration than from the last. (I'm realizing I'm a freier for voting for Obama. I should have voted for Nader again…)
10+ years in the making it is being brewed slowly for that revolutionary effect….but It Will Be Good…Promise~ See what I have learned from watching and easdroppin, they are not as smart in a complete way they are only powerful with the weapons and as soon as they are ready the weapons will be of "no use" to the aparthied. And the day WILL BE SEIZED
Lets hope the usa has a duplicate effect….it is a very long time comming. The tables are turning and the fruitfulness of logic and truth will be known to all peoples.
Good cop, bad cop. How quaint. Biden opens the door for an Israeli attack on Iran and Obama says no way. America invades Pakistan and Obama offers words of conciliation. America finances terrorists and possibly a coup d'etat in Iran and Obama is talking about negotiating with the mullahs. No matter what America does, Obama is always the good guy. Cute, but unconvincing.
the usa and the place they made a state into which happened to be illegal and against laws of humanity for which place they "knew along would be the ideal" the aspirations of the few outweighed the human needs of the many. I hope the aparthied state populous feels the same afterwards. I am surprised …has anyone from the site here ever tried to impact the political parties and leaders with the logical solutions and facts that genocide is not going to be covered up or dressed to make it look different. May everyone of those zionist burn in hell for all eternity along with the three branches of jewsa government. CU DE TA
great question. always acute to watch where obama is silent when in comparable situations he's been loudly public. pretty much tells you where he thinks the real power lies. some commenter here said it was a good cop-bad cop approach. obama trying to tease out which way the wind is blowing? he did an effective job on hillary and her crowd. maybe he's sizing up possible chinks in the AIPAC tank? checking out just how thick its armor is, how fast it is, the power of its guns? that's another way of testing his own power, no? his record and speeches reveal his decision on any issue by what they carefully affirm and what they ignore…
Problem is Israel always paints its aggression as "legitimate self defense." And Uncle Sam plays along. Similarly, under Just War theory Israel is uncivilized But "preemptive war" justification physical scenarios under that theory are very outdated–made less clear by a plethora of electronic tools and more sophisticated false flag operations.
Yes, he's been good at keeping up that image–an Israeli attack on Iran would tear away that image, but then it would be too late for us all.
Oh, Biden, Human gaff-machine. If we assume the best of Obama, then perhaps we is still trying to untangle decades of US policy before he can actually change the ground game? Thin ice.
Considering how long he's been in congress, Palin should be able to speed past him in a week's study of our foreign policy in the Middle East, probably elsewhere too. She was especially ignorant in that arena, but he's a light weight, just crafty enough to know who to blow.
Gaza pogrom, ahhh that is a new one. Jesus you are fucking dolt.