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What the Cuban Missile Crisis Can Teach Us About Barack Obama (Biden's Crisis Prediction)
Townhall ^ | October 20, 2008 | Matt Lewis

Posted on 10/20/2008 8:13:09 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Joe Biden's warning that Barack Obama's election will precipitate an international crisis included these words:

"It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy."

While Kennedy is fondly remembered today, it should be noted that during his presidency, America came closer than we have ever come to nuclear war.

As Michael Dobbs implies in his new book, "One Minute to Midnight," the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred -- at least partly -- because of Kennedy's previous mishandling of a summit meeting with Khruschev (remember how Obama wants to meet with everyone without pre-conditions?):

"Their single summit meeting -- in Vienna, in June 1961 -- had been a brutal experience for Kennedy. Khruschev had treated him like a little boy, lecturing him on American misdeeds, threatening to take over West Berlin, and boasting about the inevitable triumph of Communism."

... It's not hard to imagine Ahmadenijad schooling Obama like this. Dobbs goes on to write,

"... 'Roughest thing in my life,' Kennedy had told James Reston of The New York Times, after it was all over, 'He just beat the hell out of me.' Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was contemptuous of his boss's performance. 'Khruschev scared the poor little fellow dead,' he told his cronies."

... It's not hard to imagine Joe Biden saying (or at least, thinking) the very same thing of Obama.

Dobbs adds,

"As Kennedy later confessed to Reston, his superpower rival had no doubt concluded that "I'm inexperienced. Probably thinks I'm stupid. Maybe most important, he thinks I have no guts."

...Yes, it's true, foreign leaders pay attention to which leaders they deem to be weak and/or inexperienced. They size-up their adversaries, and determine whether or not they can take the next step. In this instance, Kennedy's perceived weakness and inexperience emboldened Khruschev.

And while Kennedy's inexperience fortunately did not result in a nuclear war, it did lead us to the brink of nuclear war -- a situation which would never have occurred if Eisenhower had been in office -- or if Nixon had succeeded him...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2008; biden; election; electionpresident; elections; mccain; obama
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To: dragnet2
I'm not offended by it, I just don't think that we should bypass an otherwise good leader based on gender. I don't recall the Muslims trying anything untowards with Golda Mier or Margaret Thatcher that they wouldn't have tried with a similar male prime minister, do you?
21 posted on 10/20/2008 9:00:15 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (Barack Obama: In Error and arrogant -- he's errogant!)
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To: dragnet2
Hmmm. If the islamists disrespect Palin (which I believe they do disrespect her), imagine what they would think about a crackpot like Joe Biden! The village idiot one heartbeat away from the Oval Office!
22 posted on 10/20/2008 9:02:14 PM PDT by April Lexington (I'm voting for McCain in 2008 and Jefferson Davis in 2012)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

My point here, was comparing Obama to Kennedy, an experienced honorable military combat veteran, was a terrible analogy on the authors part.


23 posted on 10/20/2008 9:03:30 PM PDT by dragnet2 (We witnessed the biggest expansion of government in American history)
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To: torchthemummy

I wonder what islam thinks of Angela Merkel?


24 posted on 10/20/2008 9:05:00 PM PDT by April Lexington (I'm voting for McCain in 2008 and Jefferson Davis in 2012)
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To: dragnet2

Yeah, and the Arabs always knew that Golda Meier was a total pushover.

Here’s a clue: The terrorists see everyone here as a dhimmi to be pushed around...unless they have reason to fear a particular individual. They will fear McCain, and if the only reason they don’t fear Palin is her lack of a penis, then we would have them right where we want them: overconfident and eager to expose their operations.

Man, you’re a total double-bacon genius burger.


25 posted on 10/20/2008 9:07:04 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback (*******It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.******)
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To: dragnet2

Regardless of what anyone thinks of Kennedy, the U.S. and the world came very close to an all out nuclear war.<<<<

I well remember was a young teenager all the waiting for the crisis to go one way or the other. My neighbors had brought out guns, which was so strange to me as I had never seen one in the neighborhood or even up close. I wondered what they thought they would use them for if we got bombed.

People were nervous wrecks, and everyone was gathered around radios and TV to see what was going to happen. No ‘net, no cable stations, no cell phones, LOL, just the newspapers, TV and radio.


26 posted on 10/20/2008 9:07:48 PM PDT by Mjaye
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To: ken21

Dude...find new friends. Not over their politics, but over their sloth.


27 posted on 10/20/2008 9:09:48 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback (*******It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.******)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"As Kennedy later confessed to Reston, his superpower rival had no doubt concluded that "I'm inexperienced. Probably thinks I'm stupid. Maybe most important, he thinks I have no guts."

Ahmadinejad has already reached these conclusions about Obama. If Barack wins, shortly after he takes office Iran will claim to have nuclear weapons capability. Obama will agree to meet with him and will grant them much of what they demand in exchange for agreeing to not sell or even test the weapons or attack any other countries. It will never be conclusively verified that they have nuclear weapons and no live nuclear tests will be demonstrated. Iran will be considered a nuclear power and will be able to dominate the Middle East while we will be required to pull all troops out of the region. Barack will comply as he had intended to do that all along and he will claim we have achieved an agreement with Iran that Bush failed to even attempt.

Within months of our complete withdrawal, Iraq will be toppled and Israel threatened sending oil prices skyrocketing. The economy that appeared to be on the road to recovery will crash even harder because of energy rationing and newly implemented carbon controls.

Al Qaeda begins to poke and prod at the US and our allies causing further chaos and instability. Afghanistan and Pakistan heat up into a full scale war with large numbers of troops being moved into the region.

Four years of Obama with a compliant Congress and a supportive media who dare not criticize him could be a long, long time.

28 posted on 10/20/2008 9:12:05 PM PDT by eggman (Obama is now The Zero. He used to be The One but he added The Negative One=Joe Biden.)
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To: dragnet2; 2ndDivisionVet
If your offended that a female would be looked at by murdering fanatical terrorist as weak, and inexperienced, I can't help you.

Well heck, let's just elect Keith Ellison president. He'll seem really strong and godly to them, and they'll be far less likely to attack us.

Yeah, you're a double-bacon genius burger all right.

29 posted on 10/20/2008 9:13:05 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback (*******It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.******)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
And while Kennedy's inexperience fortunately did not result in a nuclear war, it did lead us to the brink of nuclear war

In addition, this comment is really stupid. Kennedy did not tell the Soviets to install nuclear weapons in Cuba. He was faced with this threat *after* they were discovered. Kennedy was the President that oversaw the removal of those weapons.

The fact is, we can all thank God the Soviets did not believe Kennedy was weak and just playing tough. If that were the case, there would be damn good chance that both of us would not be alive.

30 posted on 10/20/2008 9:18:40 PM PDT by dragnet2 (We witnessed the biggest expansion of government in American history)
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To: Mjaye
I well remember was a young teenager all the waiting for the crisis to go one way or the other. My neighbors had brought out guns, which was so strange to me as I had never seen one in the neighborhood or even up close. I wondered what they thought they would use them for if we got bombed. People were nervous wrecks, and everyone was gathered around radios and TV to see what was going to happen. No ‘net, no cable stations, no cell phones, LOL, just the newspapers, TV and radio.

Most today don't realize, and many at the time didn't realize that we had warships out there dropping depth charges on top of Soviet submarines...That had nuclear missiles on them... Even our commanders didn't know this until much later.

We, and the world, were truly on the brink.

31 posted on 10/20/2008 9:23:11 PM PDT by dragnet2 (We witnessed the biggest expansion of government in American history)
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To: ken21
IS BIDEN TRYING TO SCARE AMERICAN'S INTO VOTING FOR McCain
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting


32 posted on 10/20/2008 9:25:02 PM PDT by ncfool (Obama stands for The New United Socialist Sta'te or "TNUSSA")
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To: ncfool

an event of that magnitude

would certainly demand extraordinary

measures by comrade obamao!


33 posted on 10/20/2008 9:30:00 PM PDT by ken21 (people die and you never hear from them again.)
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To: dragnet2
If your offended that a female would be looked at by murdering fanatical terrorist as weak, and inexperienced, I can't help you.

Do Muslims oppress women because women are weak, or because they're afraid that--absent oppression--women would become stronger?

34 posted on 10/20/2008 9:53:18 PM PDT by supercat (Barry Soetoro == Barbara Streisand)
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To: ken21

Here’s some stuff that might work on left-leaners for Obama and Biden -
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081020114146AAW6G1d

“What the He** is joe biden talking about a generated CRISIS?? are they going to purposely cause a crisis?”

and Digg
http://digg.com/politics/Political_Radar_Biden_to_Supporters_OBAMA_WILL_BE_TESTED_B

and a free translation of Biden’s remarks
http://www.waronfreedom.org/dox/biden-blurts-tarpley-tells.html


35 posted on 10/20/2008 9:59:55 PM PDT by Salchaker
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

36 posted on 10/20/2008 10:06:28 PM PDT by americanophile
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To: dragnet2
If your offended that a female would be looked at by murdering fanatical terrorist as weak, and inexperienced, I can't help you.

No, that would be Bill Clinton.

37 posted on 10/21/2008 12:10:34 AM PDT by happygrl (we are all plumbers now!)
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To: torchthemummy; dragnet2; 2ndDivisionVet; April Lexington
One of the key reasons for electing a female president would be the Raging Hormone Factor.

A female president would be unpredictable; she could just go loco any moment and respond in some Outrageous manner to something that the Middle Eastern Mind just meant as a "test".

You Just Don't Know What You Might Be Getting With A Female.

38 posted on 10/21/2008 12:22:36 AM PDT by happygrl (we are all plumbers now!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
It's time for the 527s to get in gear and make a TV ad like the Johnson ( Nuclear/Daisy TV ) 1964 ad... with Joe Biden's own words in the background.. while showing graphics of the dangers the USA faces ... and at the end... these words...

After hearing Joe Biden's own words.... Barack Obama.... even his very own VP running mate doubts his ability, judgment, and readiness to be President of the USA.... can we really trust Obama with the most important office in the world if Biden doubts him ?
39 posted on 10/21/2008 4:06:40 AM PDT by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM .53 : 1 The FOOL hath said in his heart, there is no GOD.)
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To: dragnet2
" And murdering ME terrorist would not see a female in the Oval Office as a weakness? "

What about Margaret Thatcher ?

40 posted on 10/21/2008 4:10:36 AM PDT by Prophet in the wilderness (PSALM .53 : 1 The FOOL hath said in his heart, there is no GOD.)
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