Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Joe Biden’s Alternate Universe [Hezbullah and Lebanon]
commentarymagazine ^ | Michael J. Totten

Posted on 10/03/2008 7:57:58 AM PDT by flyfree

In Thursday night’s vice presidential debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin, Biden said the strangest and most ill-informed thing I have ever heard about Lebanon in my life. . . . Nobody – nobody – has ever kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon. Not the United States. Nor France. Not Israel. And not the Lebanese. Nobody.

Joe Biden has literally no idea what he’s talking about.

It’s too bad debate moderator Gwen Ifill didn’t catch him and ask a follow up question: When did the United States and France kick Hezbollah out of Lebanon? . . .

Like many who watched the debate, I was bracing myself for Palin to say something off-putting about foreign policy. She’s the one who needed the crash course, allegedly; Biden is supposedly Mr. Foreign Policy. He’s supposed to be the experienced elder statesman Senator Barack Obama chose to help him govern and fill in some of his knowledge and experience gaps. He’s supposed to know far more about foreign policy than she does.

(Excerpt) Read more at commentarymagazine.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008debates; biden; hezbollah; lebanon; michaeljtotten; michaeltotten; totten
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-32 next last
Read the whole thing.
1 posted on 10/03/2008 7:57:58 AM PDT by flyfree
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: flyfree
Joe Biden has literally no idea what he’s talking about.

Never has, never will.............

2 posted on 10/03/2008 8:00:05 AM PDT by Red Badger (I'm gonna use "Sarah!" from NOW ON since Hillary uses "Hillary!"......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: flyfree

“Well Gwen, two years ago Barack Obama warned about the sub prime mortgage crisis” - Biden

Can anyone confirm this???


3 posted on 10/03/2008 8:00:48 AM PDT by stocksthatgoup (`Pontius Pilate voted "Present")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: flyfree
What on Earth is he talking about? The United States and France may have kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon in an alternate universe, but nothing even remotely like that ever happened in this one.

LOL ... the Star Trek "Mirror Mirror Universe"? I half-expected Spock to walk out wearing a beard.
4 posted on 10/03/2008 8:01:43 AM PDT by TexasGreg ("Democrats Piss Me Off")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stocksthatgoup

Probably Barry warned one of his crooked real estate pals in Chicago that he’d better hurry up and sell more subprime mortgages, or he might miss the boat.


5 posted on 10/03/2008 8:02:45 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: flyfree
Biden's debate presentation was full of specific facts that seemed to demonstrate his encyclopeadic knowledge of policy issues. This kind of command of the facts is much easier, when one is allowed to make up the facts from thing air, with zero questioning by the media.
6 posted on 10/03/2008 8:03:06 AM PDT by CaptainMorgantown
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stocksthatgoup
Penny Pritzker the Queen of Sub-Prime lending ( See Superior Bank was fined over 400 million ) also Barack Obama’s Campaign finance manager might have told him. LOL
7 posted on 10/03/2008 8:05:22 AM PDT by scooby321 (Cai)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: scooby321

Bush kicked Syria out.


8 posted on 10/03/2008 8:06:54 AM PDT by scooby321 (Cai)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: flyfree

Did anyone else catch that Biden seemingly had forgotten the name of ‘Lebanon’ and referred to it as ‘That country north of Israel’?


9 posted on 10/03/2008 8:08:13 AM PDT by VeniVidiVici (Amazing how Obama, Rangel, Biden and Dodd all got killer mortgage rates and below cost property.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TexasGreg
LOL ... the Star Trek "Mirror Mirror Universe"? I half-expected Spock to walk out wearing a beard.

That explains why Biden looked like a Klingon last night!...........

10 posted on 10/03/2008 8:09:40 AM PDT by Red Badger (I'm gonna use "Sarah!" from NOW ON since Hillary uses "Hillary!"......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: flyfree

I hope to see some ads referring to screw-ups like this alongside Joe saying he rejected any particular “portfolio” in exchange for sitting in baraq’s lap day in and day out, providing advise.


11 posted on 10/03/2008 8:10:54 AM PDT by RobinOfKingston (Man, that's stupid ... even by congressional standards.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VeniVidiVici

Joe Biden is the Mullah’s best friend in Iran. They paid him off to not vote to condemn the Revolutionary Guard.


12 posted on 10/03/2008 8:10:59 AM PDT by massgopguy (I owe everything to George Bailey)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: flyfree

Biden: “The idea he [Cheney] doesn’t realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that’s the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.”

First, Article one is the LEGISLATIVE branch not the executive. Everybody should understand that. Furthermore the role of the Vice President is mentioned in BOTH Article I (the Legislative) and Article II (Executive).

So much for Biden the Constitutional scholar.

What a tool.


13 posted on 10/03/2008 8:12:39 AM PDT by allmendream (Sa-RAH! Sa-RAH! Sa-RAH! RAH RAH RAH! McCain/Palin2008)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stocksthatgoup

Only ‘warning’ Obama might have given about sub-prime is that they werent loaning enough to poor credit risks...

“Loosen those purse strings or else”


14 posted on 10/03/2008 8:13:31 AM PDT by Former MSM Viewer ("We will hunt the terrorists in every dark corner of the earth. We will be relentless." W 2001)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: flyfree

One thing you have to give Biden credit for. He is very skilled at rapidly bulldozing over realities. And you have to give him credit, in the sense that he’s quite the adept liar.

He says something, you think, “wait a minute, that doesn’t make sense” and he’s two thoughts down the road on you. The only way to stay up with him is to scrutinize every word and somehow rapidly process it.

As anybody knows, 0bama said, on videotape, he’d sit down w/dinnerjacket w/o conditions. Plain, baldfaced mistruth spoken there.

And of course, nobody has kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, good grief, if that statement can be made, we’ve turned Iraq into a suburban strip mall with donut shops.


15 posted on 10/03/2008 8:14:01 AM PDT by Attention Surplus Disorder (Tired from wondering whether we wake up in the newest socialist country tomorrow.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: flyfree

I did kind of wish that Sarah would ask him why Barry sued that bank and forced it to issue more subprime mortgages, if he was that concerned about the problem.

But that kind of question seems to go beyond McCain’s brief.


16 posted on 10/03/2008 8:17:57 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: allmendream

Biden makes stuff up as he goes along. He thinks that flashy smile will win you over. But Sarah’s smile was much brighter!

I do wish she would have said, “Did you just now make that up, Joe? Like you made the story up about FDR going on T.V.?”


17 posted on 10/03/2008 8:19:38 AM PDT by Terry Mross
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: stocksthatgoup

Here’s the Mar 22, 2007 letter:

Dear Chairman Bernanke and Secretary Paulson,

There is grave concern in low-income communities about a potential coming wave of foreclosures. Because regulators are partly responsible for creating the environment that is leading to rising rates of home foreclosure in the subprime mortgage market, I urge you immediately to convene a homeownership preservation summit with leading mortgage lenders, investors, loan servicing organizations, consumer advocates, federal regulators and housing-related agencies to assess options for private sector responses to the challenge.

We cannot sit on the sidelines while increasing numbers of American families face the risk of losing their homes. And while neither the government nor the private sector acting alone is capable of quickly balancing the important interests in widespread access to credit and responsible lending, both must act and act quickly.

Working together, the relevant private sector entities and regulators may be best positioned for quick and targeted responses to mitigate the danger. Rampant foreclosures are in nobody’s interest, and I believe this is a case where all responsible industry players can share the objective of eliminating deceptive or abusive practices, preserving homeownership, and stabilizing housing markets.

The summit should consider best practice loan marketing, underwriting, and origination practices consistent with the recent (and overdue) regulators’ Proposed Statement on Subprime Mortgage Lending. The summit participants should also evaluate options for independent loan counseling, voluntary loan restructuring, limited forbearance, and other possible workout strategies. I would also urge you to facilitate a serious conversation about the following:

* What standards investors should require of lenders, particularly with regard to verification of income and assets and the underwriting of borrowers based on fully indexed and fully amortized rates.

* How to facilitate and encourage appropriate intervention by loan servicing companies at the earliest signs of borrower difficulty.

* How to support independent community-based-organizations to provide counseling and work-out services to prevent foreclosure and preserve homeownership where practical.

* How to provide more effective information disclosure and financial education to ensure that borrowers are treated fairly and that deception is never a source of competitive advantage.

* How to adopt principles of fair competition that promote affordability, transparency, non-discrimination, genuine consumer value, and competitive returns.

* How to ensure adequate liquidity across all mortgage markets without exacerbating consumer and housing market vulnerability.

Of course, the adoption of voluntary industry reforms will not preempt government action to crack down on predatory lending practices, or to style new restrictions on subprime lending or short-term post-purchase interventions in certain cases. My colleagues on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs have held important hearings on mortgage market turmoil and I expect the Committee will develop legislation.

Nevertheless, a consortium of industry-related service providers and public interest advocates may be able to bring quick and efficient relief to millions of at-risk homeowners and neighborhoods, even before Congress has had an opportunity to act. There is an opportunity here to bring different interests together in the best interests of American homeowners and the American economy. Please don’t let this opportunity pass us by.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Barack Obama

_______________________________________________

It’s a real stretch to say he warned Paulson about the current crisis with that letter. It seems to mostly be asking for more special breaks for homeowners so they escape foreclosure.


18 posted on 10/03/2008 8:29:52 AM PDT by savedbygrace (SECURE THE BORDERS FIRST (I'M YELLING ON PURPOSE))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: savedbygrace

Amd Mar 22, 2007 is not two years ago, but closer to 18 months ago.


19 posted on 10/03/2008 8:30:45 AM PDT by savedbygrace (SECURE THE BORDERS FIRST (I'M YELLING ON PURPOSE))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: stocksthatgoup
Can anyone confirm this???

Of course not! Obama and his ACORN pals were too busy pressuring banks to grant no down payment loans to unqualified borrowers...IOW creating the subprime mess...to be warning against it!

20 posted on 10/03/2008 8:35:30 AM PDT by pgkdan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-32 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson