H
HagiaSophia
Guest
Joseph Biden, the senior senator from Delaware, is the Democratic Party’s main spokesman on international affairs; he is also a man who, on occasion, seems not to know, when sentences leave his mouth, where they are going or what they are meant to convey. Sometimes, when he thinks that he may shock or amuse his listener, he begins by stating, “I’m going to get in trouble if I say this,” or, “This is a really outrageous thing to say, but . . . ” And so when I asked Biden, as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and one of John Kerry’s chief advisers on foreign policy during last year’s Presidential campaign, what advice he gave Kerry on how to convince voters that he was tough, Biden laughed and said, “I wish I could tell you. I wish I could tell you.” Then he told me…"
"…“I’m listening to the radio,” Biden said. “‘Today’”—here he adopted a radio announcer’s voice—“‘the President of the U.S. said dah-dah, dah-dah, dah-dah, and he said he’s sure Senator Kerry agrees with him. Senator Kerry, unable to resist a dig’—that’s what the announcer said, that was the phrase—‘said today had we acted’—I’m paraphrasing—‘had we acted properly in Tora Bora, we wouldn’t have this problem.’”
Biden continued, “I’m on the phone, I e-mail, I say, ‘John, please, say three things: “How dare bin Laden speak of our President this way.” No. 2, “I know how to deal with preventing another 9/11.” No. 3, “Kill him.”’ Now, that’s harsh. Kerry needed to be harsh. And it was—Jesus Christ.” Here Biden threw up his hands. “He didn’t make any of it. Let’s get it straight. None of it. None of those three points were made.”…"
“…As Senator Bayh put it, “If the American people don’t trust us with their lives, they’re unlikely to trust us with much else.”
…”
"…He told me that he won’t make a decision on a Presidential run for at least two years. “My honest-to-God answer is, I’m not going to go on a fool’s errand,” he said. “If I think I’m the horse that can pull the sleigh, I’ll do it. But if there’s someone else out there . . .” He trailed off. But he didn’t leave the impression that he sees an overly crowded field.
He has come to realize, he said, that many Democrats still haven’t grasped the political importance of September 11th, and again he recalled how he had urged Kerry to keep his campaign message focussed on terrorism. Kerry, Biden said, would tell voters that he would “fight terror as hard as Bush,” but then he would add, “and I’ll help you economically.”*…"
newyorker.com/printable/?fact/050321fa_fact
"…“I’m listening to the radio,” Biden said. “‘Today’”—here he adopted a radio announcer’s voice—“‘the President of the U.S. said dah-dah, dah-dah, dah-dah, and he said he’s sure Senator Kerry agrees with him. Senator Kerry, unable to resist a dig’—that’s what the announcer said, that was the phrase—‘said today had we acted’—I’m paraphrasing—‘had we acted properly in Tora Bora, we wouldn’t have this problem.’”
Biden continued, “I’m on the phone, I e-mail, I say, ‘John, please, say three things: “How dare bin Laden speak of our President this way.” No. 2, “I know how to deal with preventing another 9/11.” No. 3, “Kill him.”’ Now, that’s harsh. Kerry needed to be harsh. And it was—Jesus Christ.” Here Biden threw up his hands. “He didn’t make any of it. Let’s get it straight. None of it. None of those three points were made.”…"
“…As Senator Bayh put it, “If the American people don’t trust us with their lives, they’re unlikely to trust us with much else.”
…”
"…He told me that he won’t make a decision on a Presidential run for at least two years. “My honest-to-God answer is, I’m not going to go on a fool’s errand,” he said. “If I think I’m the horse that can pull the sleigh, I’ll do it. But if there’s someone else out there . . .” He trailed off. But he didn’t leave the impression that he sees an overly crowded field.
He has come to realize, he said, that many Democrats still haven’t grasped the political importance of September 11th, and again he recalled how he had urged Kerry to keep his campaign message focussed on terrorism. Kerry, Biden said, would tell voters that he would “fight terror as hard as Bush,” but then he would add, “and I’ll help you economically.”*…"
newyorker.com/printable/?fact/050321fa_fact