Biden's Loose Lips

Vice President Joe Biden's need to show off how much he knows (because he's so important) transcends even his own desire to survive. Not just political survival, but survival of a terrorist attack or act of war.

Biden revealed the location of the previously undisclosed secure bunker where Vice President Dick Cheney spent time after 9/11: it's at Biden's home, at the Naval Observatory.

Biden's stupidity is incomprehensible. And this is the guy that President Barack Obama picked to be one heartbeat away from the presidency.

Palin Knows Constitutional Law Better Than Does Biden

If I hear anyone in the media claim again that Palin is an inferior vice presidential candidate to Biden, I will just scream. The fact of the matter is that, time after time, Palin has demosntrated herself far more worthy to be next-in-line to the president than Joe the Gaffer. Vincent Carroll of the Rocky Mountain News today provides another example of where Palin beats Biden hands down: knowledge of the U.S. Constitution. And the funny thing is that Palin, the journalism major, knows more about the law than Biden, who graduated from law school:

Now that the Rocky Mountain News has devoted a page-and-a-half spread to dissecting Sarah Palin's answer to a third-grader regarding the duties of the vice president - concluding she "bobble(d)" the query and her answer was "shaky" in terms of accuracy - let's stop for a moment and look in the other direction. In the spirit of fairness, let's recall Joe Biden's description of the same job during the vice presidential debate at the beginning of this month.

According to Biden, "Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that's the executive branch. He works in the executive branch. . . . And the primary role of the vice president of the United States of America is to support the president of the United States of America (and) . . . to preside over the Senate, only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit.

"The only authority the vice president has from the legislative standpoint is the vote, only when there is a tie vote."

Shaky? No, worse. To begin with, Article I concerns the legislative branch. For the establishment of the executive branch, you have to go to Article II. As it happens, both articles mention the vice president, but Article I is where the relationship to the Senate is laid out: "The Vice President of the United States shall be the President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided."

Biden was also misleading, you'll notice, in saying the vice president presides over the Senate "only when there is a tie vote." The Constitution clearly says he is Senate president, period. But modern vice presidents don't often choose to preside because it's so rare that their vote is needed.

Palin, in answering a child, slightly overstated the power of the vice president vis a vis the Senate by using the words "in charge." (Her answer at the debate was hardly a model of clarity, either.) Biden's answer at the debate mischaracterized Article I and the vice president's status as Senate president. And this is a fellow who moonlights teaching constitutional law.

Is it likely that neither has actually read the relevant passage of Article I or reviewed the history of vice presidential duties? Of course not. They both know what the vice president does. But since Palin's response is deemed worthy of close inspection, we certainly wouldn't want to neglect the imprecision of the other side.
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Biden Needs A Pit Stop

Joe the Gaffer is at it again. As reported by AP from a campaign appearance in Charlotte, Biden said:

"John McClain. John McClain. Excuse me, John McCain. John McCain — I don't recognize him anymore," Biden said to laughter from several hundred supporters in attendance.

Biden then rattled along with this one:

Campaigning in NASCAR country, Biden employed car racing terminology for bumping to describe the contentious final days of the campaign. He told supporters in Charlotte that he's worried about how the Republicans have been acting as the two campaigns have been "trading a little paint" recently.

"What worries me most is the McCain campaign seems to have gotten a little loose," Biden said. "John's getting a little loose. He doesn't have much of a steady hand these days. Now's the time we most need a steady hand."

With Obama headed to Hawaii away from media attention, maybe Biden should take a pit stop of his own for some tightening of his lips, which seem to have "gotten a little loose".
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

"Rhetorical Flourishes": Obama-speak For Joe Biden's Gaffes

The Obama campaign must have stayed up late trying to come up for some explanation for Biden's "world testing" commentary. The best they could do is this, as reported by CBS News:

“You know I think that Joe sometimes engages in rhetorical flourishes,” Obama said. “But I think that his core point was that the next administration is going to be tested regardless of who it is.”

Meanwhile, Biden decided to practice being Dick Cheney by moving to an undisclosed location away from the press -- just in case there is world testing between now and the election, of course.

Biden Does His Homework: World Testing To Occur During Obama's Freshman Year

Children and Senator Joe Biden can say the darnedest things. Sometimes they are profound. Here's the latest from Joe, courtesy of ABC News:

"Mark my words," the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy."

Uh, Joe, I think I would rather vote for the guy who won't provoke an international crisis. And when it comes to world testing, no copying answers from Neal Kinnock will be allowed.

Update: Hotair posts on Biden's "world testing" comment with the following definition of his chief attribute (and perhaps the reason Powell endorsed him):

Gaffe (n): The accidental act of a politician telling the truth.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Good Grief: Biden Claims "Jobs" Is "A Three Letter Word"

Obama smoothly defended his choice of running mate during yesterday's debate. For rebuttal, McCain should simply run soundbites of Biden on the stump. Biden's latest episode, which rivals Dan Quayle's "potatoe" moment, is on video here.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

That's Reaaally Scaaary!

The Daily Telegraph provides today's Biden gaffe, which is in the spirit of the upcoming holiday:

Joe Biden is enjoying himself so much on the campaign trail that occasionally he gets to thinking he's about to become president. "In a Biden...an Obama-Biden administration," he said during an event at an American Legion hall here in Rochester, New Hampshire this morning, catching himself just in time.
. . . .
Last month at an event in Fort Myers, Florida, he referred to the "Biden administration" before correcting the phrase and adding as he laughed and crossed himself: "Believe me, that wasn't a Freudian slip. Oh Lordy day, I tell ya."

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Biden, The Malapropster and Plagiarizer, Strikes Again!

Senator Joe Biden demonstrated again today his adeptness at both malapropism and plagiarism. According to the Associated Press, Biden said, among other interesting things:

"You know, the idea here that somehow these guys are once again injecting fear and loathing into this campaign is ... I think it's mildly dangerous. I mean, here you have out there these kinds of, you know, incitements out there — guy introducing Barack using his middle name as if it's some epitaph or something," Biden said, apparently confusing the words "epitaph" and "epithet."

And, of course, the reference of Governor Palin's Rival to "fear and loathing" in a "campaign" lifts the words of Louisville native, the late Hunter S. Thompson (writer of "Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail"). At least Biden has improved his source material from the days he relied on Neil Kinnock!

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Biden Demonstrates Comic Relief

CBS News reports this from Senator Joe Biden, who is prepping for Thursday's debate with Governor Sarah Palin:

As he exited the hotel for his dinner break, Biden was asked “Senator, can we get your reaction to the House bill not passing?” Biden interrupted the question with a “Hey folks,” to reporters and then said “Oh, things are going well.”

Biden’s press secretary, David Wade, sent an e-mail minutes later, saying “the senator thought you asked how prep was going” for this week’s debate with Gov. Sarah Palin.

Prior to Biden's departure, the press was moved further away from the hotel's exit, perhaps far enough away that it prevented Biden from clearly hearing the question.

He may not be as smart as Palin, but at least Biden can make us laugh -- which keeps us from crying on a day like today was.

Obama and Biden Attempt To Prove They're Tough By Punching Each Other

We keep waiting for Obama to "take off the gloves" and land an effective punch on McCain -- as Obama has repeatedly promised to do but failed to deliver over the past several weeks. The last twenty-four hours have seen Obama land more blows on his running mate than on the Republican opposition. And for his part, Biden has delivered a series of gaffes and dim witted remarks that must have provoked Obama more than once to ask himself, what was I thinking when I picked this dufus to run for vice president?

As far as we can tell, Biden beats Palin in only one category -- his propensity to make dumb statements. Take, for example, what the senior senator from Delaware (but not senior enough to have been alive during the 1929 Market Crash) had to say about FDR today, as reported by AP:

Vice presidential candidate Joe Biden says today's leaders should take a lesson from the history books and follow fellow Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to a financial crisis.
"When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened,'" Barack Obama's running mate recently told the "CBS Evening News."

Except, Republican Herbert Hoover was in office when the stock market crashed in October 1929.

Oh, and Joe, it was a radio not a television that Roosevelt used to deliver those fireside chats. In case you didn't know, televisions were not mass produced until the latter half of the twentieth century, not the first half.

Biden was also suppose to be the man to deliver all those rural votes from coal mining states for Obama. Instead all he has done is emit his own noxious CO2, as Ben Smith of Politico blogged:

[On] Biden's recent Ohio swing, . . . he was asked by an anti-pollution campaigner about clean coal -- a controversial approach in Democratic circles for which Obama has voiced support, particularly during the Kentucky primary.

Biden's apparent answer: He supports clean coal for China, but not for the United States.

"No coal plants here in America," he said. "Build them, if they're going to build them, over there. Make them clean."

"We’re not supporting clean coal," he said of himself and Obama. They do, on paper, support clean coal.

The answer seems to play into John McCain's case that Obama has been saying "no" to new sources of energy.

Before Obama's people could sequester Biden, he was contradicting his running mate again by saying he was against the bailout of AIG. That inconvenient fact thwarted Obama's attempt to criticize McCain for allegedly changing his position on government intervention to save the insurer, as ABC News reported. Obama was reduced to saying that he thought "Joe should have waited" before giving his opinion on AIG. Not good to have a running mate who tries (and we emphasize, tries) to think for himself on the issues.

But the doozy of the day came when Biden criticized his and Obama's own campaign ad, discussed in earlier posts, that criticized McCain for not being able to type emails, which is the result of the Republican's war injuries. As FoxNews.net reported:

The Delaware Senator took issue with an attack ad from his own side in an interview with CBS, telling Katie Couric that the Obama hit on McCain’s ignorance of computers and technology was “terrible.” The ad paints McCain as out of touch — and all but calls him ancient — but doesn’t mention that the Arizona Senator’s war injuries actually prevent him from using computers for an extended period.

Asked whether he’s disappointed with the tone of the campaign, including the ad that Couric characterized as “making fun of John McCain’s inability to use a computer,” Biden said “I thought that was terrible by the way.

“I didn’t know we did it and if I had anything to do with it, we would have never done it”

It's time to put the gloves back on, gentlemen. Maybe you will do less harm to yourself that way.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

The "Messiah"'s Running Mate (aka Sen. Biden) Exhorts Wheelchair-Bound Man To Walk

Senator Biden must be jealous that Senator McCain and Governor Palin are receiving all the media attention these days, except for when they are reporting on Senator Obama's gaffes. So Joe made a major one of his own yesterday. As reported by Politico:

Biden had an awkward moment during a rally in Columbia, Mo., Tuesday. At the start of his remarks, he pointed out several state lawmakers in the audience for praise. When he got to Chuck Graham, a state senator from Green Meadows, Biden urged the lawmaker to "stand up Chuck, let 'em see ya."

But Graham, who is in a wheelchair, can't stand up - a fact Biden quickly picked up on.

"God love ya, what am I talking about," Biden said. "You can tell I'm new," he quipped, asking the audience to stand up for Graham instead.

Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.