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Top 5 Joe Biden quotes of the week

"They're either going to have to agree with us, come up with an alternative or we're not going to have health care... and we're going to get health care." (NBC, "Meet the Press," 6/14/09)

There are few areas Democrats and Republicans disagree in more than healthcare. The Obama-Biden administration has made it abundantly clear that they plan to push legislation through this year. Obama has called healthcare a "ticking time bomb," especially as the baby boomers age. U.S. government health-related expenditures are already at more than $1.9 trillion per year, which is 44% more than what Switzerland spends on their national healthcare plan and 134% more than the median average of all the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Over the weekend, Obama and Biden proposed a plan that would: curtail fraudulent lawsuits and malpractice awards, lower the pay rate of Medicare, reduce hospital subsidies for treating uninsured patients and negotiate better prices for prescription drugs. This plan, they said, would cost about $1 trillion over 10 years -- a figure which many Republicans scoff is just a starting point. Biden adds that it's "up to Congress" to figure out how to pay for universal healthcare, but he made it clear they're playing hardball and backing down is not an option for this administration.

"I think Dick Cheney's judgment about how to secure America is faulty. I think our judgment is correct." (NBC, "Meet the Press" 6/14/09)

Former VP Dick Cheney has been busy since he left office. The media is suddenly aflurry with Cheney sound-bites as he talks with NBC's Andrea Mitchell, CNN's John King, Fox News' Greta Van Susteren and others. Cheney has had to defend his record on torture and assert that the Bush-Cheney administration has kept our nation safe over the rest of their tenure in office. He called Obama's plan to ban torture tactics "recklessness cloaked in righteousness, which would "make the American people less safe." This week, CIA Director Leon Panetta called Cheney's criticism "gallows politics" and added that it's "almost as if he's wishing for this country to be attacked again, in order to make his point." Biden refused to speculate on Panetta's possible motivations for saying such a controversial quip, but he did take this time to reiterate the idea that we're embarking on a new political path.  

"We get the hell, the heck out as quickly as we can. As the president says, we don't want any part of running any of these companies." (NBC, "Meet the Press" 6/14/09)

Obama's critics have been accusing him of veiled socialism even before he was elected as President. Some critics even hint at fascism as the "Big" government begins to prop up giants like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Citi and General Motors, among others. Yet it's the White House's biggest joke that the administration has an interest other than stabilizing the system. Biden agrees that they already have quite a handful on their plate and that a "Washington Takeover" is not on their agenda. This week Obama added that they are "reluctant shareholders" and announced that they will be stepping into the GM bankruptcy proceedings with "a light hand."

"It is important that we make sure those sanctions stick and those sanctions prohibit them from exporting or importing weapons. This is a matter of us now keeping the pressure on. There's all kinds of discussions. Whether this is about succession, wanting his son to succeed him, whether or not he's looking for respect, whether or not he really wants a nuclear capability to threaten the region, we can't guess his motives.'' (NBC, "Meet the Press" 6/14/09) 

Biden says "God only knows" what Kim Jong-il's motives may be for his recent outburst regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Last week, we learned that uranium and plutonium would be weaponized in Pyongyang, which added to the tension from a second nuclear missile test that had been launched in May. The U.N. Security Council reacted by adopting Resolution 1874, which placed financial sanctions on North Korea. As a result, North Korea's foreign ministry backed down in their plans to enrich uranium, at least. However, America, like others, are pleased with the toughness expressed by the U.N. and our nation plans to follow suit.

#5: Iran
 

"Talks with Iran are not a reward for good behavior. Our interests are the same before the election as after the election, and that is: We want them to cease and desist from seeking a nuclear weapon, and having one in its possession, and secondly to stop supporting terror." (NBC, "Meet the Press" 6/14/09)

This week, Iran held a highly anticipated election. For a moment, it looked as if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rival, Mir-Hossein Mousavi (a potential pro-Western ally) would have the edge. In fact, both men declared victory at one point. When all the votes were counted, Ahmadinejad had won re-election by roughly a 60% victory. Many supporters of Mousavi question the validity of the vote counting and protests erupted in the streets of Tehran. Biden himself admitted that there's some "real doubt" as to the legitimacy of that election, but for now, "we have to wait and see."