RSS
Home
Joe's big mouth
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
It’s hard to know exactly what Joe Biden is thinking when he makes offhanded remarks about Israel, Iran and the economy. (But let’s save the economy for another day, shall we?) There are few things one can really say about a country like Iran without inflaming some sort of Anti-Western backlash. Yet if our VP said nothing, George Stephanopoulos would stare at him with his soulless eyes and try to goad him into another gaffe with his tricky phrases.
“Look, Israel can determine for itself -- it's a sovereign nation -- what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else,” Biden said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. Moments later, he added: “What we believe is in the national interest of the United States, which we, coincidentally, believe is also in the interest of Israel and the whole world.”
In no uncertain terms, Stephanopoulos asked the VP, “But just to be clear here, if the Israelis decide Iran is an existential threat, they have to take out the nuclear program, militarily the United States will not stand in the way?”
Biden said:
“Look, we cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do when they make a determination, if they make a determination that they're existentially threatened and their survival is threatened by another country."
That last comment was exactly what Iran had been waiting for. While the administration was careful not to get involved during the initial election and early protests – which was a wise move – they’re now stoking the fires.
In a televised speech on Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei announced:
“We warn the leaders of those countries trying to take advantage of the situation: beware. The Iranian nation will react. The leaders of arrogant countries, the nosey meddlers in the affairs of the Islamic Republic, must know that even if the Iranian people have their differences, when your enemies get involved, the people… will become a firm fist against you.”
According to Biden, “Well, look, the Iranian government has a choice. They either choose greater isolation, and from the whole world, or they decide to take a rightful place in the -- in civilized, big, great nations. They can -- that's the path they have to choose.”
As protests continue in Iran, international clamor is rising as French, Greek and British citizens are arrested on charges of “spying.” French PM Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday, “Let me say in the clearest and simplest way possible: we demand the release of our compatriot. The accusations of spying are pure fantasy and there is no reason for them.” Despite the Western world’s desire to let Iran settle their own internal affairs, they’re beginning to get nervous about the destabilization.
Iran was the focus of a G8 summit in Italy this week, which included delegates from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States. "The Iranian authorities are trying to blame 'foreign powers' for their violent and abusive campaign against peaceful protesters," said Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch's executive director. "The G8 needs to make it clear to Tehran that it cannot shift the blame and that human rights concerns will be at the forefront of future G8 engagement with Iran."
Iran was the focus of a meeting between President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev this week as well. Admiral Mike Mullen, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, warns that the “clock is ticking” with Iran, who he believes is continuing to develop their nuclear weapons program, despite claims that it’s simply a “civilian energy” program. “I believe Iran is very focused on developing this capability,” he tells the Center for Strategic and International Studies. There is some fear that the Russians considered selling the S300 Defense System to Tehran, which Admiral Mullen says would be “a game-changer.”
Even though Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for greater sanctions on Iran, the White House had to switch gears into Damage-Control-Mode after Biden’s flap this weekend. In a CNN interview on Tuesday, Obama said they were “absolutely not” giving a green-light for Israel to attack Iran.
Obama added:
“And I think it’s very important that I’m as clear as I can be, and our administration is as consistent as we can be on this issue. I think Vice President Biden stateda categorical fact, which is that we can’t dictate to other countries what their security interests are. What is also true is that it is the policy of the United States to try to resolve the issue of Iran’s nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels. That is our policy, I have been talking about this for the last two years, we are going to continue to pursue this, and you know we have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and solve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East. Now this is a tough job and nobody is under any illusions that it will be easy, and I've always said that we, the United States, preserve the right, and I as the commander in chief preserve the right to take whatever actions are necessary to protect the United States. But we are committed to a peaceful resolution to this conflict and I think it is still possible, but ultimately if we present an opportunity to the Iranians at some point, they've got to seize that opportunity."
Related Articles:
Comments
About the Stimulus: "In my wildest dreams, I never thought it would work this well." About the Economy: …
Before you get nervous, know that Joe Biden was NOT in the armored vehicles when they crashed on Wednesday around 2:27 am. US Park Police said the …
