The Biden Prophecy

Townhall.com ^ | February 19, 2009

[Steelfish]

The Biden Prophecy

Charles Krauthammer

February 20, 2009

WASHINGTON -- The Biden prophecy has come to pass. Our wacky veep, momentarily inspired, had predicted last October that "it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama." Biden probably had in mind an eve-of-the-apocalypse drama like the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Instead, Obama's challenges have come in smaller bites. Some are deliberate threats to U.S. interests, others mere probes to ascertain whether the new president has any spine.

Preliminary X-rays are not very encouraging.

Consider the long list of brazen Russian provocations:

(a) Pressuring Kyrgyzstan to shut down the U.S. air base in Manas, an absolutely crucial NATO conduit into Afghanistan.

(b) Announcing the formation of a "rapid reaction force" with six former Soviet republics, a regional Russian-led strike force meant to reassert Russian hegemony in the Muslim belt north of Afghanistan.

(c) Planning to establish a Black Sea naval base in Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia, conquered by Moscow last summer.

(d) Declaring Russia's intention to deploy offensive Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad if Poland and the Czech Republic go ahead with plans to station an American (anti-Iranian) missile defense system.

President Bush's response to the Kaliningrad deployment -- the threat was issued the day after Obama's election -- was firm. He refused to back down because giving in to Russian threats would leave Poles and Czechs exposed and show the world that, contrary to post-Cold War assumptions, the U.S. could not be trusted to protect Eastern Europe from Russian bullying.

The Obama response? "Biden Signals U.S. Is Open to Russia Missile Deal," as The New York Times headlined Biden's Feb. 7 Munich speech to a major international gathering. This followed strong messages from the Obama transition team even before the inauguration that Obama was not committed to

[Pantera]

This is incorrect. The crisis (whatever it is) will result in actions by Obama that will be considered extreme, even by the looney left. So far, the left is happy as a can be.

[Darkwolf377]

probes to ascertain whether the new president has any spine. Preliminary X-rays are not very encouraging.

Based on his parade of backtracks (after berating Bush for doing what he, Obama, is now doing) and "Don't blame me it was Bush" buck-passing, his stimulus sham, and his Apology to the World tour for himself and Hillary, Obama's spine is roughly the consistency of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, water added, the mushrooms strained out.

[voveo]

A weak leader, like Zero, will make such poor political decisions that will force this country into a corner and the only way out is usually war. It has happened in history, many times. We may soon be in WWIII.

[j-damn]

*Announcing the formation of a “rapid reaction force” with six former Soviet republics, a regional Russian-led strike force meant to reassert Russian hegemony in the Muslim belt north of Afghanistan.*

How is this bad, really? If we hadn’t meddled with Ivan in Afghanistan the first time would 9/11 have ever happened? Let Ivan stamp all over every -Stan country, I don’t care.

Nowadays Russia is more free & Christian than America and somebody has to do the dirty work that Americans don’t want to do.

[PetroniusMaximus]

“Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking,” Biden said.

“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. And he’s gonna have to make some really tough — I don’t know what the decision’s gonna be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it’s gonna happen,”

“...like they did John Kennedy”

[PetroniusMaximus]

“Nowadays Russia is more free & Christian than America”

In some ways yes, in many ways no.

[Bon mots]

The only people Obama has attacked have been Americans and the American economy... so far...

• Rush Limbaugh because he does not like the things Mr. Limbaugh says when he exercises his "Constitutionally flawed" right of Free Speech.
• Jessica Simpson. Very puzzling why the "Leader of the formerly Free World" would choose to humiliate a celebrity over her weight on National Television like some 13 year old schoolboy. Probably the first time on record that a standing President has attacked a private citizen.
• He has continually beat the drum of Economic catastrophe and trashed the economy just when the nation could use a pep-talk.
  Yet, he is willing to sit down with Ahmadinejad and shine his shoes.
  He is willing to carry the water of Hugo Chavez.
  He is eager to meet Fidel Castro.
  But he will not talk with Fox News.
  
  He is busy stuffing his Potemkin Press Conferences with fawning, obsequious, genuflecting 'journalists' and answering only scripted questions from the pre-chosen sycophants or reading from his shiny new teleprompter.

  It's going to be a long four years.
  
  One can only hope that his trajectory follows that of Salvador Allende, and this abortion of a Marxist experiment gets packed off to Kenya with his sorry Marxist backside.

  

[mollynme]

So many Americans are not paying attention to this, being too wrapped up in domestic issues. Scary stuff.

[EveningStar]

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[Jacquerie]

Well said. Both Chamberlin and Carter invited the problems they eventually faced.

[benldguy]

Isn’t Kaliningrad really “occupied” Konigsberg??

[patriciaruth]

Yep, this is all stuff that Bush would nip in the bud; but with Obama it will come to full flower, and then the ashes of war or humiliating defeat.

[DuncanWaring]

Probably the first time on record that a standing President has attacked a private citizen.

It's my understanding Woodrow Wilson and FDR regularly attacked private citizens.

Not that that makes it any better.

[Elsie]

This followed strong messages from the Obama transition team even before the inauguration that Obama was not committed to...

 

 

 

 

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!

Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time

[Elsie]

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

When we have somebody like Vladimir Putin lecturing us on not adopting socialism, we know we have to analyze what the heck happened last November and make sure that it never happens again.