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Oh, That Joe! (No. 8 in a Series) -- On Fred 'Red October' Thompson, His Gall Bladder, and Brigades Vs. Battalions

September 03, 2008 2:31 PM

Vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., might be in the Sunshine State, 1,700 miles southeast of the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., but the loquacious son of Scranton is definitely keeping tabs on what the opposition party is up to.

He seemed quite keyed up, for instance, over the remarks at the GOP convention last night by thespian and former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn.

"I heard 'Red October' hunting for votes," Biden said at the Harborside Event Center in Fort Myers, Fla., "and Fred got up there and said, 'Well, the Democrats are going to raise your taxes, because they say they’re not going to raise taxes, but they’re going to raise taxes on business and that’s going to affect your food.'

"Let me tell you something," Biden said. "I don’t know why we need to give another tax break to Exxon Mobil. ... These guys made $600 billion. Six hundred billion in profit has been made by the oil companies since 2000, and John McCain wants to give them another $5 billion tax break."

"So, Fred," Biden said, addressing a man not in the room, "Fred, look at me. We’re gonna make sure you don’t get another tax break, because I’m going to give the tax break to the people right here in this room.”

Defending his running mate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., from the charge that he's inexperienced, Biden reached back to his first Senate campaign, when the then-New Castle County council member defeated incumbent Republican Sen. Caleb Boggs.

“The line I used to use is, 30 years of bad experience ain’t worthwhile experience," Biden recalled. "You’re not going to take your car back to a mechanic who, for 30 years in a row, has screwed it up.”

But heralding his own experience, Biden also said he "know(s) as much as anyone in government about" national security and foreign policy.

And for the third time since his acceptance speech a week ago, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confused battalions and brigades.

“Over a year and a half ago,” Biden said of Obama. “He said we need two more combat battalions in Afghanistan.”

Actually, Obama called for two more combat brigades. 

A brigade is bigger than a battalion -- a brigade, in fact, is composed of a varying number of battalions.

The chairman said he expects to receive an agreement soon signed by the Iraqi and U.S. governments. “It’s going to say it’s time to turn over responsibility to the Iraqis and set an absolute date to bring our troops home,” Biden said. “So, if Barack Obama is the agent of surrender, George Bush is the one signing the surrender papers!”

Biden noted that he "left part of me here in Ft. Myers. You have one of the best hospitals in America, Lee County Memorial," he remembered. "They have my gall bladder.

"I got down here one time with my dad and wife at three o’clock in the morning, and woke up with this awful, awful pain and thank God, thank God, you have -- it’s rated one of the top 100 hospitals in America, so you should be very proud. And I can testify to the fact that you’ve got the best doctors and the best nurses of any place I’ve ever been, and I’ve spent a lot of time hanging out with doctors and nurses."

But it wouldn’t be a complete day for Biden if he didn’t make a slip-up about who’s actually at the top of his party’s ticket.

“We’re stepping up to the ball here, the Biden -- excuse me, the Obama-Biden administration," Biden said. "No, that wasn’t a Freudian slip, I was just talking about myself,” he said as the crowd laughed. “Believe me, believe me, you got it right, Obama-Biden, I got that part,” Biden continued, laughing.

“Oh, Lordy day, I tell ya,” he said, chuckling as his voice trailed off.

-- Jake Tapper and Matt Jaffe

September 3, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (54)

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why did Barack Obama manage to secure 3.4 million in taxpayer dollars for clients of Joe Biden's son's lobbying firm?
-----
Hmm. More, more ...
Probably comes in handy to have another Biden brother "serving" as Delaware's Attorney General.

So ... is this how Biden wound up on the supposed "change" ticket, which now supports FISA, war in everywhere, a billion bucks for Georgia, etc.?

Posted by: Belle Starr | Sep 4, 2008 11:33:24 AM

Delaware -credit card companies ripping people off thanks to Biden

Alaska -providing domestic oil.

Posted by: geevill | Sep 3, 2008 9:39:52 PM

Joey was going to break up Iraq in little pieces...each piece was to be taken. Shiite to Iran, Sunni to Syria, Kurd to...who knows.

Good plan Joe that sure would settle things. Dividing up a nation into pieces to be fought over by other nations...brilliant! The surge has been successfull...thank God Biden/Obama wasn't in office cause the situation could have been a lot worse.

Also (before the Libs get ahead of themselves...didn't Biden vote for the war?? Yes...yes he did.

Posted by: Joe | Sep 3, 2008 9:17:42 PM

I just love me that Joe!

Thanks, Jakea & Matt!

Posted by: Just Us League | Sep 3, 2008 8:06:51 PM

Biden is a buffoon. He has been a buffoon for more than thirty years. He will most likely be a buffoon for the rest of his life.

Posted by: Buford Gooch | Sep 3, 2008 6:55:59 PM

"Once is a gaffe.

Twice is snort-worthy.

Three times means he knows not of what he speaks."

I agree. Why does John mcCain still think Czechoslovakia exists?

Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 3, 2008 5:49:19 PM

When will the vetting of Biden begin - why did Barack Obama manage to secure 3.4 million in taxpayer dollars for clients of Joe Biden's son's lobbying firm?

I'm sure ABC is on it.

Posted by: Good Lt | Sep 3, 2008 5:38:27 PM

Once is a gaffe.

Twice is snort-worthy.

Three times means he knows not of what he speaks.

Way to bring that "military gravitas" to the ticket, Joe! That 36 years of sitting on your tucose doing nothing but talking means you haven't had time to use your brain.

Biden's IQ ain't what he claims it used to be. Laughable.

Posted by: Good Lt | Sep 3, 2008 5:34:57 PM

And did he mention that his IQ is higher than yours?

And did he mention that he got a full academic scholarship to law school?

And did he mention that he invented the internet?

Posted by: drjohn | Sep 3, 2008 5:30:37 PM

"So, Terrible Gov. Palin handles a whole state by her little ol' self, while Awesomely Awesome Sen. Biden handles half of the huge state of Delaware."

Joe Biden represents not just Delaware's interests but those of our country. And he has done so for 30 years.

Palin has been governor of a small state for 20 months after being mayor of a small town.

I agree, the comparison is laughable.

Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 3, 2008 5:29:31 PM

DELAWARE POPULATION: 864,764
ALASKA POPULATION: 683,478

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there two senators and just one governor per state? Hmm.

So, Terrible Gov. Palin handles a whole state by her little ol' self, while Awesomely Awesome Sen. Biden handles half of the huge state of Delaware.

Right, Gov. Palin is the one that's lacking. Please.

Posted by: jose | Sep 3, 2008 5:16:22 PM

"Delaware has a size of 1,955 sq. miles.
Alaska has a size of 570,374 sq. miles."

And, uh, you're saying that qualifies her more?

OOOOOK.....

Good to see you have a rock-solid grasp on civics.

Posted by: tdub | Sep 3, 2008 4:38:44 PM

Yeah, righties. Nice that history shows that no one in your party makes verbal gaffes. Brother.....

Now back to your whining about Palin. Nice to see how all you Repubs became femnists in only ONE WEEK. Congratulations!

Posted by: tdub | Sep 3, 2008 4:36:40 PM

Ok. I do like Joe, as the person he seems. However, he got a small percentage of votes miraculously, because DEMS knew he would be an embarassment. Take him out! Put the person who received more votes than BO.

Posted by: irma | Sep 3, 2008 4:34:10 PM

Delaware has a size of 1,955 sq. miles.
Alaska has a size of 570,374 sq. miles.
-----
Delaware isn't really much of a state -- summer houses for the rich, and a flag of convenience for off-brand corporations, overseen by Biden's son, the state Attorney General.

Posted by: Belle Starr | Sep 3, 2008 4:31:36 PM

Yeah, really. I remember when the press couldn't get near BsO until they dug their nose up enough for him to feel they earned it. Then of course he had memorized what he couldn't read on a teleprompter.

Posted by: irma | Sep 3, 2008 4:31:34 PM

"Ryan, contrast Biden with constantly saying stupid stuff in front of crowds."

Why is Palin sequestered from the press and delegates?

Why is the only interview McCain has given since his House gaffe has been to Leno?

Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 3, 2008 4:24:03 PM

Dear Mr. Biden!

ExxonMobil pays twice it's profits in taxes already to the Federal Government. It works hard for its profit, you (part of the Federal Government) do nothing but take long summer vacations for your profit (i.e. taxes).

Sincerely,

Reality

Posted by: D'Obama | Sep 3, 2008 4:19:24 PM

Biden's MOUTH trumps his experience.

Posted by: irma | Sep 3, 2008 4:17:02 PM

"What I like about Senator Biden is that he's cynical and runs at the mouth"

An irresponsible loudmouth. All you can ask for in a President right? Biden is better suited to replace Letterman.

Posted by: geevill | Sep 3, 2008 4:14:47 PM

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