Posted on 05/14/2019 8:39:56 AM PDT by Red Badger
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s “intellectual acuity” in potentially leading the nation seemed a cause of concern for a former Obama administration official.
Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did not exactly give the 2020 Democratic contender a glowing reference as he simply said he “didn’t know” if Biden would make an effective commander-in-chief, telling CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on “Face The Nation” that he stood by his view that Biden has “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue” in the last 40 years.
Brennan read from Gates’ comments on Biden in his 2015 memoir:
Joe Biden is impossible not to like. He is a man of integrity, incapable of hiding what he really thinks and one of those rare people you know you can turn to for help in a personal crisis. Still, I think he’s been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.
After reminding the highly respected former Defense Secretary of his own words, the CBS News moderator and senior foreign affairs correspondent asked if he thought Biden would make a good president.
“I don’t know. I think I stand by that statement,” Gates said.
“He and I agreed on some key issues in the Obama administration. We agreed on, to oppose- we both opposed the intervention in Libya. We both opposed the way that President Mubarak was handled- the situation in Egypt. We disagreed significantly on Afghanistan and some other issues,” Gates explained.
“I think, as I say elsewhere in the memoir, I think that the vice president had some issues with the military. So how he would get along with the senior military, and what that relationship would be, I just- I think, it would depend on the personalities at the time.”
“You think he’s right for this moment?” Brennan asked, noting that the 76-year-old former vice president is one year older than himself.
“I think I’m pretty busy and pretty active but I think- I think having a president who is somebody our age or older, in the case of Senator Sanders, is – I think it’s problematic,” Gates replied.
“I think that you don’t have the kind of energy that I think is required to be president,” he added. “I’m not sure you have the intellectual acuity that you might have had in your sixties.”
Gates noted that it was just his “personal view” but that the “thought of taking on those responsibilities at this point in my life would be pretty daunting.”
He also pointed out that, even though he has had his “issues” with Biden on foreign policy, “I’ve hardly heard a word out of any of the other 20 candidates on foreign policy at all. I have no idea what any of them think about any of the issues you and I have been discussing.”
Gates’ reply on Biden’s foreign policy history has been noted by others as well, with former assistant secretary of state for President George W. Bush calling out the Democrat who has “empirically had poor judgment particularly on foreign policy.”
Robert Charles cited Gates on “Fox and Friends” last week, pointing out how Gates “criticizes almost nobody” but called out Biden for his foreign policy failures, which Charles then began to address.
“If you go back in time this is a guy who wanted to divide up Iraq. He opposed the Bin Laden raid. In favor of the phony Iran deal and sending cash to them,” he said. “Back in 1979, this is a guy who celebrated the Ayatollahs coming to power because he thought that was going to bring human rights. This is a guy that opposed the defense buildup of Ronald Reagan. He opposed the B-1. He opposed the B-2 that brought down … that policy direction brought down the Soviet Union. He opposed the MX missiles.”
He also condemned Biden’s recent comments on China, which is “truly our number one potential adversary and our number one competitor in the world,” and Biden thinking otherwise is “beyond naïve.”
Joe Biden is a creepy old cricket
Aside from the child molesting thing. He may be a pretty likable guy, I suppose. And maybe Jimmy Carter was actually the nice man they all said he was.
But I think most people want a tough, intelligent guy in the White House who gets things right a lot more often than he gets them wrong. Trump in a landslide.
Sleepy Creepy Joe is not going to win this time so this is nothing to worry about. He will probably get the nomination though.
I always thought that Gates and Biden were intellectual twins. Gates nearly ruined the military and completely destroyed the Boy Scouts. He is not one of the sharpest knives in the drawer.
Joe Biden is impossible not to like.
—
Seriously? I, for one, don’t like him. I think he’s an arrogant, corrupt imbecile with some serious pervert issues.
“He will probably get the nomination though.”
That would be prefect. However, SOMEONE has to get the debate questions to him.
Donna is do’in her straight boogie now, so he’ll be on his own!
I started voting in 1958 and have voted in every POTUS & Mid-Term Election since then. I always used to watch “Meet The Press” on Sunday mornings on NBC TV.
When Democrat, Joe Biden became a U.S. Senator, he was always invited to be a guest on “Meet The Press”. In all the times he accepted their invite, and, appeared on TV, I have not once, not once ever seen this moron to be correct on anything. He is as dumb as any human being can become.
Of course, even in these few short days that Biden is in the POTUS race...he continues to be the dummy & moron he always was. No matter what the Media, Pundits or pollsters tell you...he is not going anywhere but, into complete forever obscurity. PUTIN & XI would eat him alive on day one, if he any became POTUS.
What’s wrong with you American voters...wake up. Democrat, Joe Biden is a deadbeat, idiot, loser from A-Z. I would say, with some regret, he might make a good garbage collector....but....I never want to insult the good folks that do this necessary job for society!!! Biden is simply a nothing, empty suit human being....period!!!
Go Trump...Massive Mega/MAGA Trump Rally next Monday evening in Montoursville, PA, “Energy Aviation Hangar”
For more info, go onto “www.donaldjtrump.com” web site
Hes always been a dope. He is a typical Democrat hack from a safe Democrat state where he doesn’t have to worry about the fact that hes pretty stupid.
So says a guy who worked for Obama, who’s also been wrong for about 40 years.
The long knifes have come out much earlier then I expected.
I don’t believe any of the announced candidates will be the Democrat’s nominee. Watch out for a quick bait and switch the closer we get to the conventions.
Only reason Gates is saying this is he’s for someone besides Sanders or Biden.
He’s been in Washington for 50 years.
Now, he wants to “fix things.”
Yep, that's probably the strongest argument against these career pols.
Williams YOU ARE THE WINNER!!!
You nailed it with ur statement, especially the stupid part!!
Questioning someone’e “intellectual acuity” is as close as you can come to saying “he’s a dumbs#it” in todays PC environment.
Two particular guys have been wrong for their entire political lives on every significant issue of foreign and defense policy - and that kind of perfection is not easy to attain...one must be consistently stupid, disloyal and oblivious on a constant basis. One of them is John Kerry, and the other is Joe Biden.
I believe that Dick Cheney said words to that effect, but I’ll be damned if I can find the exact quote (and Cheney knows a ton more about this than I could ever hope to know).
Biden looks like he has signs of dementia
You know things are really bad for you when an Obama official is talking down your mental acuity.
Is that you, Vice President Cheney? (see my #17)
I quite agree with you...Biden is as dumb as a bag of hammers.
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