At VFW Convention Speech, Obama Mentions Biden

As an American who has spent time in Russia, Ingushetia and Ossetia, and has
written an MA thesis based on my field research there, which dissected the
collapse of the Soviet Union as it lead to the formation of new Russia as it
connected to the Russo-Chechen war, I see this event as a very classic case of
Russian build-up and planned aggression - complete with pretext.
Little nations are just always attacking Russia or Russia's protected for
reasons no one can quite understand and for no apparent benefit...
The question about why Saakashvili made that foolish mistake to attack Ossetia
seems self-answering. Indeed, why would he?

I look forward to receiving more information from neutral parties as to what was
going on in Tshkinvali during the week leading up to the 7-8th. As I recall,
similar arguments over who started what little shoot-out here and there were
being conducted then, but just to a lesser scale than after the 12th.
Saakashvili had also appealed for Western mediation before the eruption,
claiming that Russia was about to invade.

Moving on, Russia used the argument of preserving Her territorial integrity very
effectively in convincing the international community to allow her a free hand
in Chechnya. (The legality and details of that war, I shall spare you here. At
any rate, as a result of her policies there, her success in the North Caucasus
is largely superficial.)

However, the international community has steadfastly backed Russia's claim of
territorial integrity. The US administrations under Clinton and Bush have both
adopted a very indulgent policy with Russia, hoping that she would (despite all
indications as revealed in the loss of freedoms of press, the massive humans
rights abuses, murdering and silencing of political and social advocates, utter
centralization of power, etc.) remain on the course of democracy if we were nice
and supportive.
Certain elements in DC, old cold warriors you could say kept warning against
Russia but had been disregarded somewhat in light of this policy. Until now.
Now we reached some culmination and many are starting to speak out against
Russia as being aggressive and undemocratic.

I thus do not buy the argument that the neo-cons were trying to encircle Russia
or something like that.
American policy in general has been too indulgent of Russia considering the
decline it has been going through in terms of democratic and free governance
over the past 15 years.
Of course this doesn't mean that we should take evil hawkish or even
chicken-hawkish stances.
But, forget about the party feuds we are having or our rejections of one party
or another, or whatever. This is an issue actually about Russia not domestic
American politics.
If John McCain said something against Russia, it is because he was thinking
along the lines of the cold warriors the whole time.
If Bush said something it is because he has been recently informed that that is
American foreign policy.
If Joe Biden came back from Tbilisi and said what he said, it is because he is
repeating exactly what any red-blooded Georgian patriot would be telling him.
And he is reporting exactly what he discerned from being there.

I have been in the Caucasus and I have seen the very same things.

Now, this does not mean that Joe Biden or I aren't perhaps swayed by the input
of those to whom we were speaking or are seeing one perspective more than say
that of the Russians or Ossetians. It also still begs a decent answer to the
question of what really was going on in the weeks leading up to the event in
Ossetia.
But as mentioned above, Russia very effectively mobilized the argument that she
had free reign in Chechnya due to concerns of territorial integrity.
Russia now states that Georgia can forget about Georgia's claims to territorial
integrity in Abkhazia and S. Ossetia.

I guarantee you that Georgia did not commit atrocities and certainly not are
continuing to commit atrocities in Ossetia at the same scale as the Russians
have been doing in Chechnya and Ingushetia.

And fyi, the Ossetians (North) in fact have committed pogroms against the
Ingush.
This is a region in which ethnic clashes are not uncommon and no ethnic group is
completely a victim.
A major reason that there are feuds has to do with tsarist, Soviet and later
Russian arbitrarily drawn borders, deportations, resettlements and land
policies in the region. So once again the original problem was caused by
Russian divide-n-rule policies. This adds some more fuel to the fire in the
argument that Russia wanted this little skirmish. It is basically a land grab
in the Caucasus.
In sum, it is my assessment both John McCain and Joe Biden are speaking what
they think to be true.
I understand that we have grown so wary and mistrusting of our politicians. And
the whole Iraq, war on terror stuff has made many of us cynical.
But, all that time, I've been in and watching Russia and the Caucasus. For once,
our politicians are giving their honest assessments of the situation - whether
they are right or wrong.
And Republican or Democrat coming in to the White House, you will see a change
in our foreign policy towards Russia. We won't initiate another Cold War. Don't
worry. But we will be a bit less indulgent. And we will, I hope, start
supporting our allies in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus - who know Russia well
- ever increasingly. In fact, I think that if we had worked on building up our
relationships with them instead of dealing with Iraq, we would have a better
position in the world today.
Also, if Russia isn't indulged I hope that her leaders will choose to conduct
themselves in less totalitarian and hawkish ways.
One might argue our own leaders have recently done similar things. Well, I hope
they'll stop that too.
But, sending foreign aid and telling Russia to get out of Georgia is perfectly
rational and in fact just. We are the only country in the world strong enough
to be able to do that.
Let's be happy our leaders and representatives are finally doing something half
decent and correct - both sides.
Go USA!

I never shy away from calling the media and blogosphere out on their collective incompetence and ineptitude...present site and blogger excluded, of course...but they have been very successful in preventing the most qualified candidate for President - and now, Vice President - from receiving an honest assessment from the electorate and, in so doing, perhaps ensuring that we will be facing a McCain administration in January 2009. Conventional wisdom, as expressed here and throughout the media and blogosphere, give proof to the great success of the media/blogosphere-driven national myth that has been constructed around Joe Biden.

The mainstream media narrative that has given rise to a national myth of epic proportions goes something like this:

[‘Joe Biden is a gaffe-prone blowhard/Washington insider/plagiarist whose ego and arrogance are second in magnitude only to his love for the sound of his own voice and doesn't deserve to be taken seriously by us - the mainstream media and blogosphere, along with our celebrated pundits...or by anyone else, for that matter..until, of course, we need an expert to help us understand complicated issues of a foreign policy, national security, or constitutional nature.’]

The ONLY grain of truth in all of that is that Senator Biden does speak at length and when he does, people become better informed - if they are smart enough to listen and not mistake a passion for sharing knowledge with arrogance and ego.

Granted, not ALL of the media and blogosphere (mainstream and otherwise, new and old) feel the need to perpetuate the myth and actually verbalize its message - it is much easier to just ignore and dismiss him, as was done in this campaign. Besides, they didn't have to put voice to the message. They have long since accomplished the task of creating this seemingly self-sustaining myth that surrounded Senator Biden throughout this campaign and which was, as if preordained, gleefully taken up - hook, line and sinker - by a majority of the electorate.

If Senator Biden is not selected as the nominee for Vice President, with Special Portfolio on Iraq, then it will be America's great loss...and that of the world, at large.

Joe Biden is one of the very few people who has addressed the problem of a political solution in Iraq. Gen. Petraeus himself has said that violence will cease when there is a political solution and a military solutionis only a holding action (or words to that effect.)

Iraq was arbitrarily put together in the aftermath of World War One by Great Britain (actually by Winston Churchill) . Strife between the three distinct ethnic groups , Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, has been responsible for most of the post invasion violence in Iraq.

Joe Biden has long argued for a "soft partition" of Iraq. Whether a "soft partition" or complete partition is the answer, serious discussion of partition among the three ethnic groups in Iraq as well as other Mideast countries needs to take place.

The devil, of course, will be in the details.

I can think of no one who is more qualified to moderate that discussion than Joe Biden (although Peter Galbraith is a close second)

Joe Biden has described a very good solution for a problem that he helped to create by voting for the invasion in the first place.

The latter may not be all bad. Barack Obama was clearly against the invasion. The participation of Joe Biden in the political process may induce others who voted for the war to get on board.

I love how people on here are aghast that we might spend money in Georgia. But those same people are perfectly fine with the Bush Administration spending untold billions in Iraq and on missiles for Poland. Most of the generals in Afghanistan are saying what that country needs is infrastructure, not more soldiers. But we shudder at the thought of sending "aid" unless it is in the form of weapons. We are so penny wise and pound foolish

Really, don't you see what's happening? I firmly believe the McCain, Rove, Bush trio pushed Georgia to start this, showing the rest of us what a big bad country Russia is. They are manipulating you, restarting the cold war, just to get elected. And the republicans are falling for it. Do you really want to go backwards? do you want your kids to grow up like we did with the "red scare"? Open your eyes, anyone willing to start WWIII to win a freaken presidential election is a bit insane. The terrorist argument isn't working anymore, bring on the Bear!

Remember "The Mouse that Roared?" Here's little Georgia and Big Bad Russia. Biden goes in . The fastest budget in the West ready to give Georgia one billion dollars to reconstruct? Amen,says Obama.

Great Statesmanship! Dollar diplomacy.

Say anything you want about Bush and the Republicans. But here is the Democratic think tanks dream ticket, Biden and Obama, B.O., promising more give=aways. Let's solve all world prblems by throwing money at them. The taxpayers are enamored of the guy with the funny name. Let's give the shop away.

Long ago in a debate, Tim Russert asked the candidates if they would "pledge that Iran would not go nuclear", one of the few silly questions I ever heard him ask. Biden responded "Why are we talking about Iran when Pakistan IS nuclear, and is about to implode?" It was two days later that Musharraf declared martial law. The guy understands the international scene and calls it like he sees it. Had I been able to vote for him in the primary (Michigan screws itself) I would have. I hope he's the guy.

I lam almost 60 years old and I have never seen big business so in control, put McCain in and it is allover.

""For months, I have called for active international engagement to resolve the disputes over South Ossetia and Abkhazia," Obama said. "I made it crystal clear before, at the beginning of, and during this conflict that Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected, and that Georgia should be integrated into transatlantic institutions." (Obama said that)
__________

Wow!
I never realized the powers held by a Junior Senator!

Or was that just Obama's megalomaniacal ego sounding off?

(Have I made myself clear?)

As one who has lost all his previous Presidential bids, Joe Biden will be a perfect match for Oscama...

Obama said he's sending Biden to Georgia. Will it turn into a disappearing act like Moe McCain sending out his emissaries of Larry and Curly to Geogia? Where in the world could they be? Perhaps the McCain surrogates are in a highly sensitive location, like the offices of the Atlanta Constitution Journal.

The empty suit and the stuffed shirt.

Obama could choose no one better then Senator Biden. He has more knowledge of world events, domestic security, and the middle class than anyone that McCain could possibly choose. As to the above comment about how many votes Senator Biden received, especially this year in the primaries, that was Big Media looking for Big Bucks. And, go ahead and Google it about McCains 5 (five mansions) and his hypocrisy. Yes, Senator Biden would balance out the ticket, gain the blue collar and, I hate to say it, but white older male voters. The racism has reared it's ugly head in this election. I am an over-50, white woman, who wants change and did not want Clinton. I have wanted Biden from the start.

Joe Biden?

I can hear McCain saying, Oh please Lord let it be SlowJoe. Pretty please.

and all the people shouting about Biden and georgia...

do you know what Mccain has said over the past 6 months...

and what Biden has said?

if you are complaining about Biden NOW reaching further out to help the situation maybe you all should see what the guy whose lead foreign policy advisor use to be the lobbyist for the Georgian government has been saying...

he sure hasn't said anything negative about the Georgian's (a country I may add that polls have shown now that half of their OWN population blames their own governemtn as much as Russia)

you know when Biden was calling the Georgian President to task several months ago...and Mccain was just screaming about the Russians...like a cold war hawk...making the situation worse.

People need to read the article Biden wrote with Lugar in the washington Times back in April.

A much smarter tone and call for how to deal with the situation than John "lets go into Iraq to get back at 9/11" McCain's threats against Russia.

oy

Biden said

"Four score and seven years ago...mmm....We have nothing to fear except......ummmm.......I have but one life.....ummmm......Ask not what your country.......mmm........Where are we again?"

Angie,

perhaps it would be a good idea to learn the difference between China and then North Vietnam. Are you aware of the terms people used to call Japanese and Germans? It had nothing to do with donuts.

You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking," Biden said

Bring him on.

1 billion in reconstruction assistance for the people of Georgia? As is money solves problems and we don't need it here in our own wrecked economy.

Come on Joe Biden, I thought you were smarter than that. Look into the facts: Georgia shelled South Ossetia mercilessly before Russia attacked.

Let's end the damn cold war already.