Has the vice president gone missing? Or is he hiding in a secure undisclosed location?
Strong words delivered by Joe Biden during his visit to Israel were widely reported last week.
“This is starting to get dangerous for us,” Biden warned his Israeli hosts. “What you’re doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That endangers us and it endangers regional peace.”
Many in Washington were apparently so shocked that Biden could have said something like this, they were, for several days, dumb-struck and rendered immobile.
One of the first to regain his senses was Jeffrey Goldberg. It can’t be true, Goldberg thought, and then set about getting to the bottom or at the very least the periphery of the story.
Where would one turn if one wanted to find out what the vice president said? Maybe the Office of the Vice President? Not if you’re Goldberg. He asked some fellow at the White House.
Meanwhile, Eric Re-Cantor had a chat with Rahm Emanuel, and the White House Chief of Staff confirmed that he too had heard from some guy (could have been Biden himself — we don’t know) that Biden was misquoted.
I guess I’m a bit of a stickler because when it comes to establishing what Biden did or did not say, I’d prefer to hear it from the vice president himself — or at least in a written statement from his office. He has a reputation for being blunt. I dearly hope he hasn’t lost it.
This is a cross-post from Woodward’s site, War in Context.
This brings up a problem common to American Zionists. They don’t really care about the people living in Israel but they worship the state of Israel the way the ancients worshiped Ba’al.
Sometimes, you can hear them today, singing their God’s praises:
Ba’al, He high, and so mighty!
Ba’al, He high, and Supreme!
You crack me up, Mooser. Now, what can you do with,
“I’m as corny as Kansas in August,
I’m as normal as blueberry pie.”
RE: “I’m as corny as Kansas in August,
I’m as normal as blueberry pie.” – MRW
MY SUBMISSION:
“I feel pretty
Oh so pretty
I feel pretty and Witty and gay…”
P.S. We all have our inner Marias!
I assume they put Biden back into the closet they took him from, just to send him off to kiss Netanyahu’s ass on this latest trip.
Biden will not allowed to confirm he said it. He’s already nad ample time to confirm or deny he said it. What power does a VP have? Is Biden going to go to the alternative press on his own and declare, “Yes, that’s what I said–and I mean it! American soldiers are in a hot spot, and Israel’s activities in the Palestinian terrorities doesn’t help one bit! I have a son over there, do you? Besides, those settlements are illegal and against our official foreign policy!”
” I have a son over there, do you?”
Good point, I had forgotten that. Maybe what he hears from his son was on his mind.
biden hasn’t lost it. his comment was not a mistake imho. no chance because it segues seamlessly w/petraeus’s statements. what are the chances of that? nada. biden performed flawlessly. it was a set up and israel/bibi fell into the trap . this was pure genius.
I sure hope your are right–here Cohen supports you to some extent; he argues that this is indeed a watershed moment in US-Israel relations; Obama and crew have
decided that nothing will change for the good of the US or Israel or the World unless
the US recognizes the Arab (and Persian), the Muslim world as a whole, are recognized as not always wearing black hats, and the US should act accordingly–for the first time in decades:
link to nytimes.com
Funny how that happenned when Obama is President, but never before, huh?
Gosh, Obama is a chump! He couldn’t figure out the whole world was gonna turn upside down when he was elected, and he should be the one doing the turning, so it doesn’t turn over on him? No, he thought, I’ll be nice to them, and they’ll be nice to me. OMFG: Blanche E.M. Dubios! “I have always depended on the kindness of white strangers!”
I agree, Annie. This was no accident, or the ‘accident’ and mea culpas would have been trotted out on last Sunday’s morning shows. Not a fucking chance on earth.
Furthermore, the leak came via the Israeli conservative press, not here. Laura Rozen was FED the English translation on deadline. The original was in Hebrew. So there is something else going on.
The Israeli FM is a first-class out-of-control political neophyte. (He makes Israel look like it couldn’t find the bathroom at the UN.) He dissed five of our congressmen. He insulted Turkey. He pitched a hissy-fit and refused to meet with the President of Brazil. And this would be the guy who would deal with Iran?
I mean, look at this with a cold eye. He’s the Orly Taitz of international relations.
As a matter of thought experimentation at least… has anyone considered the possibility that A) Biden did not say this nor is the Administration responsible for the leak, and B) this is a fabrication of the Israeli right?
I’m not saying that’s what it is, but maybe we should consider who else benefits from this leak, and in what way. Because Obama and his team is by no means the only player in this game.
RE: “He pitched a hissy-fit and refused to meet with the President of Brazil.” – MRW
SEE: Israeli FM says he boycotted Brazilian president | Antiwar Newswire, 03/16/10
(AP News)…Israel’s foreign minister confirmed Tuesday that he boycotted meetings with the visiting Brazilian president, claiming he refused to visit the grave of the founder of modern Zionism…Lieberman said he was upset at Silva’s decision not to visit late Zionist leader Theodor Herzl’s grave, …
SOURCE – link to wire.antiwar.com
Stephen Walt weighs in:
Who are Israel’s true friends? (Hint: it’s not AIPAC)
some fellow at the White House.
probably dennis ross, he’s a dependable go to guy for the neocons. i bet they left him out of the loop on this one. the neocons are all flapping around in a cesspool of their own making. they’ve been blindsided. wouldn’t it be amazing if the msm had some real investigative reporters delving into this. lol, not a chance, the bloggers are so ahead of the game on this one.
Laura Rozen of Politico piles on the alleged US gaffe:
link to politico.com
And, get a load (on CSPAN as I type) of all the US House reps spewing hasbara canards, to shore up
lickspitle subservience to Irael, our greatest ally, the symbol of our highest values
in the Middle East, the tiny, heroic nation surrounded by all those countries
lusting for its extinction.
Who the f*** are these cheap whitebread guys reeking from places like Indiana, these
Mini-me Dan Quayle wannat bees? I bet not one of them no any real history of the I-P history. They just know where their campaign financing comes from, and the power
of the US MSM media. I wanna puke. PC rednecks in shiny suits, they remind me
of carnie guys somebody cleaned up for the day in the washroom of a cheap motel.
They speak for us? My god…
Forgive the spelling errors–I am really upset at this Blue Collar Comedy Tour
blustering in the House today, making their statements of lackydom to their own lack of quality in the service of a rogue state that is bringing the USA down with it–and I don’t see any change coming, despite the recent tempost in a thimble–is that really
ado about something? Yeah, when you consider Shrub’s head was a thimble in comparison.
You can tell they’re reading from the same script, they all mention the square in Ramallah named after Dalal Mughrabi, except not by name.
Citizen
Why are you upset? Did you seriously anticipate any other response? Every now and then a dog must be reminded they are not the Alpha. Expect the more than the usual grovelling and kissy kissy next week. Having demonstrated its dominance, Israel will encounter little resistance in its pell mell self destructive direction. At least from the US.
OT:
Juan Cole’s latest:
Informed Comment, Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 100 Wounded as Israelis Crack Down on Palestinian Protests in Jerusalem
excerpt from Cpl. Jeffrey Goldberg, Guarding the Prison of the Nationalist Mind that some may find useful
wow, cole sites ma’an news
so, there will be a palestinian representative at the quartet meeting. hmm, why doesn’t this surprise me in the least?
NYT: Mr. Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel spoke by telephone on Tuesday evening, an administration official said. It was not clear what the two men talked about; aides to Mr. Biden did not return calls.
Biden’s at the hair clinic re-attaching hair plugs that loosened from his recent shake-up in sunny Israel.
After that he has an appointment with his jewish therapist in congress.