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Thanks for Nothin', Joe!
July 17, 2008 2:13 PM
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his allies have been hitting Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, for not holding any hearings to examine the role of NATO in Afghanistan in his perch as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs.
"He's never had a hearing," McCain said Tuesday, "so I am not surprised that all he has done is said, 'Well, we need more troops.'"
In a letter to Obama earlier this week, McCain-backing Sen. Jim DeMint R- SC, wrote, “With oversight of NATO relations and its role in Afghanistan, I believe it is time for us to focus closely on these issues,” DeMint wrote, suggesting a meeting of the subcommittee upon Obama’s return from a much anticipated trip abroad.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden, D-Del., had previously told Meet the Press that "the reason Obama didn't hold a hearing on NATO, I chair the committee. Every one of those committee hearings are held at full committee."
But today Biden decided to take his defense of Obama one step further, writing to DeMint that there have been plenty of hearings on European Affairs, they've just been held at the "full committee level."
"On the particular issue of NATO’s mission in Afghanistan," Biden wrote, "We have held three Full Committee hearings in the last 22 months: one under Senator Lugar’s chairmanship (September 21, 2006: “From Coalition to ISAF Command in Afghanistan: The Purpose and Impact of the Transition”), and two undermine (March 8, 2007: “Afghanistan: Time for a New Strategy?” and January 21, 2008: “Afghanistan: A Plan to Turn the Tide?”). At all three of these hearings, we were fortunate enough to have the expert testimony—in addition to other witnesses, both in and out of government— of former NATO commander and Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, Gen. James R. Jones (USMC, ret.)."
But Biden's letter brought attention to the fact that Obama did not attend two of those three hearings -- and for the third, on March 8, 2007, Obama only asked one question, one unrelated to Afghanistan.
How do I know the latter fact? From an August 2007 press release from Biden himself, when he was running for president.
"BIDEN CAMPAIGN CONGRATULATES SEN. OBAMA FOR JOHNNY-COME-LATELY POSITION," it read. Noting that at the March 2007 hearing, "Sen. Obama asked one question that was unrelated to Taliban or Afghanistan."
Thanks, Joe!
Also interesting: eagle-eyed ABC News Senate reporter Z. Byron Wolf notes that Sen. DeMint -- the gentleman complaining on behalf of the McCain campaign that there haven't been enough hearings on NATO and Afghanistan -- missed both relevant Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings -- in March 2007 and January 2008 -- during which he was a membert of the committee.
And Biden himself missed that first hearing of the three he mentions, in September 2006.
- jpt
July 17, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (51)
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phi, remember when Biden praised him on being a good orator: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy ... I mean, that's a storybook, man." Obama’s surrogates (I stand corrected - it was not Obama himself) played the race card, causing Joe to try to explain what he meant, and likely ending his presidential aspirations. I don’t remember Obama standing up for Biden (a Dem like himself), which he should and could have…
Posted by: Beckie | Jul 18, 2008 10:59:05 AM
McCain with a democratic congress -- that is what we need -- the perfect balance for our time. Obama and a democratic congress will take this country down an extreme liberal path which will be hard to recover from. No OBAMA, NO WAY!
Posted by: newtrina | Jul 18, 2008 7:52:07 AM
Nat Turner seems to think there are teleprompters at townhalls. If there were, Obama would be attending them. Can't wait till he gives the Fahrvergnügen speech at Brandenburg Gate, though.
Posted by: barrycuda | Jul 18, 2008 7:39:58 AM
Oh come on!
Biden was competing against Obama at the time. All Presidential wannabes try to bring down their competition.
That was then. Now Biden is doing all that he can to help get Obama elected.
Posted by: jillian | Jul 18, 2008 3:17:17 AM
I had heard some think Obama is a messiah, some of these comments here are scary:
1-"Obama is truly the wind beneath our wings." (there is a hymm w/ that phrase-On eagles wings)
2-he will deliver us from them! (like deliver us from evil?)
No wonder people are flying to the denver group!
Posted by: rrow | Jul 17, 2008 10:36:27 PM
"The truth always surfaces! I really don't know how Joe can respect Obama after he called him a racist during the primaries! I guess the new slogan for the Dems is 'Party before Country'.
Posted by: Beckie | Jul 17, 2008 8:16:01 PM"
Hey Beckie,
Was wondering if you could supply a source for that claim there because I follow the news fairly closely and I don't recall that one. Thanks!
Posted by: phi | Jul 17, 2008 10:11:20 PM
The Democratic Party should change the Donkey for a Parrot Then every morning the Parrot in Chief will utter the holy talking points to the rest of the desperate wainting masses. Amen
Posted by: Mfb | Jul 17, 2008 10:08:34 PM
STOP ATTACKING MCCAIN BECAUSE OF HIS OLD AGE!! SO ITS OKAY TO BE AGEIST WHEN YOU SAME HYPOCRITES FLIP OUT AT ANYTHING THAT CAN BE TWISTED AS POSSIBLY RACIST. YOU PEOPLE ARE BRAIN WASHED BY THE 90% LIBERAL MEDIA AND ANTI-AMERICAN MARXIST PROFESSORS WHO THINK THEY ARE INTELLECTUAL BECAUSE THE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LATTE AND CAPPUCCINNO.
Posted by: jessica | Jul 17, 2008 9:32:44 PM
The truth always surfaces! I really don't know how Joe can respect Obama after he called him a racist during the primaries! I guess the new slogan for the Dems is "Party before Country".
Posted by: Beckie | Jul 17, 2008 8:16:01 PM
Who needs experience anyway? When he needed to pad his resume in the State Senate, they propped him up with bills that other people were fighting for long before, and in one year he got the credit: instant experience! Weeehh!
Oh, but he's so inspirational, so transformative, that's what we need, a President that 'inspires' us, because we need to find inspiration somewhere to go on with our lives...
Posted by: Savant | Jul 17, 2008 7:15:37 PM
"he is more liberal [than] Hillary"
Possibly by blabla, but not by his voting record. And he can't hold a "liberal" position for ten minutes NOW, while he's trying to sew up the nomination.
How many MORE of his pretty promises/platforms/positions would The One "change" if he WERE to become the nominee of the "Democratic" Party??
This "post-partisan" placeholder is NOT "liberal". If he WERE, he wouldn't have voted for FISA . . .
That Obama was run by Ayers and Dohrn early on in Chicago isn't exactly a sign of "radical" thought -- Ayers and Dohrn talked a good game, but are about the only Weathermen who got a pass from the polizei -- which is suggestive of deeper Chicago doo-doo than is presently discussed.
Posted by: Belle Starr | Jul 17, 2008 4:39:21 PM
'MCCAIN YOU HAVENT EVEN BEEN IN THE SENATE TO DO ANY VOTES YOU OLD MAN!
Posted by: angie | Jul 17, 2008 2:49:35 PM
--------------------
and where oh where has Obama been?
not only is his attendance equally shy... he couldn't even take time away from his heavy campaigning to celebrate Martin Luther King Day..... though the other candidates did.
Then again.... Martin Luther King's dream must take 2nd place to B O's
glossier, shinier gleam dream...
Not in My book!!!!!
Posted by: curious | Jul 17, 2008 4:27:55 PM
"Obama came from chicago, the most corupt political machine in the country."
And now he's hijacked the DNC there.
Ain't democracy grand.
Posted by: Belle Starr | Jul 17, 2008 4:25:24 PM
Remember, Obama came from chicago, the most corupt political machine in the country. He has aligned himself with radical people, he is eletist, just like his wife, he is more liberal the Hillary, I would vote for Hillary, but I will never ever vote for Obama.
Posted by: W. Orrin Eldred | Jul 17, 2008 4:21:22 PM
"He is perfect in every way."
Except for the way his tiny little painted-on eyes roll around.
Posted by: Belle Starr | Jul 17, 2008 4:10:39 PM
Lee 12-
I never wrote "You Old Man". That was someone else named "Angie".
African-American, or whatever age, all I'm interested in is who can be the best president, up to the task of leading the country through one of the most challenging times in its history.
Posted by: hopesprings52 | Jul 17, 2008 4:00:41 PM
My friends,
The Silly Season Express needs a total overhaul.....How can I win?
I don't have any support from true conservatives, women or National Labor organizations.........
I can't speak without a teleprompter and/or someone whispering in my ear....
I tried flip flops and the DU-Pod, but I couldn't figure out how to hook em up together.....
Now, I'm being outraised 2-1.
My friends, I'm hurtin. Hurtin bad....Even I know I don’t have a porkchop’s chance in a piranha tank of becoming POTUS.
I'm this close to going Federally Postal…………
Well, it’s not about winning, just as long as you get to play the game, right???
Is that a good spin on how dismal things are for me?
John McCan't
Posted by: Nat Turner | Jul 17, 2008 4:00:30 PM
RUT ROH
Posted by: Jill L | Jul 17, 2008 3:49:57 PM
"He will give us all things if only we believe, big houses, crow and mustard, all to the faithful. I close my eyes and dream of his goodness and change!"
Dream on, and pay protection -- oops: "make a donation".
Just don't let the Democratic "leadership" nominate this fraud (and if they do, and if there's actually an election -- maybe The One has an as-yet-unrevealed plan to end-run not only the Democratic Convention, but the so-called "election" -- vote for ANYbody else).
The bait-and-switch "democratic" seizure of state power didn't work out well in Europe in the 1930s, either. But they're STILL trying.
Posted by: Belle Starr | Jul 17, 2008 3:45:03 PM
Yes rrr,
you are unavoidably correct! Obama is truly the wind beneath our wings. I have a poster of the original Obama Rolling Stone cover (the 1st one with Obama) on my front door. It is amazing how many people comment to me about it. A few times I had to replace it since people liked it so much they took it. I have ordered copies of the second Obama Rolling Stone cover (I can't decide which I like better! The second one shows his coy side, playful yet modest). He is perfect in every way. He will no doubt cause countries like Iran to denounce their pursuit of any harmful nuclear weapons, due to his message of hope. He isn't like other politicians - he will deliver us from them!
Obama 2008 - forever!
Posted by: Larry | Jul 17, 2008 3:41:06 PM
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