Monday, October 20, 2008
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Biden: 'Gird Your Loins' for Obama on Foreign Policy
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Posted by:
Amanda Carpenter at
10:57 AM
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Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden is already trying to manage expectations for an Obama Administration.
Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, told supporters at a fundraiser in Seattle that it might not be immediately apparent Obama is "right" during his first 100 days in office, especially on foreign policy matters.
"Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy," Biden said. "I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate. And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right."
"Gird your loins," Biden warned.. "We're gonna win with your help, God willing, we're gonna win, but this is not gonna be an easy ride. This president, the next president, is gonna be left with the most significant task. It's like cleaning the Augean stables, man. This is more than just, this is more than – think about it, literally, think about it – this is more than just a capital crisis, this is more than just markets. This is a systemic problem we have with this economy."
Biden specifically said Obama would need "help" from his supporters to stay popular on foreign policy matters.
"I've forgotten more about foreign policy than most of my colleagues know, so I'm not being falsely humble with you. I think I can be value added, but this guy has it," Biden said of his running mate.
Biden said Obama is "gonna need your help. Because I promise you, you all are gonna be sitting here a year from now going, 'Oh my God, why are they there in the polls? Why is the polling so down? Why is this thing so tough?' We're gonna have to make some incredibly tough decisions in the first two years. So I'm asking you now, I'm asking you now, be prepared to stick with us. Remember the faith you had at this point because you're going to have to reinforce us." There are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, 'Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don't know about that decision. Because if you think the decision is sound when they're made, which I believe you will when they're made, they're not likely to be as popular as they are sound. Because if they're popular, they're probably not sound."
The text of Biden's speech was orignally reported by Matthew Jaffe of ABC News.
Update: Audio is up here on YouTube.
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