Biden Undermines Obama's FP

Amanda Carpenter | August 23, 2008 8:42 AM

Joe voted for the Iraq war, just like Hillary and everybody else did. Obama bashed Hillary on this over and over again through the primaries and yet Obama picks a VP, based on his FP experience, who did the same?

This doesn't make sense.

Unlike Hillary, Biden, like John Edwards, has said his war vote was a "mistake." Does Obama think that lets Biden off the hook?

Other thoughts: Joe has a lot of FP experience. Doesn't that highlight Obama's inexperience? The AP says it shows "a lack of confidence" on Obama's behalf and that Biden, who comes with more than 3 decades worth of Washington work under his belt, undermines Obama's "change" message. Does the Biden pick mean Obama's foreign policy would be run out of the VP shop? Is there any chance Biden would execute Obama's marching orders for global affairs business Biden didn't truly agree with Obama on?

Update: I'm going to compile a list of quotes/mailers/press releases of Obama slamming Hillary for her war vote. I think Obama should have to explain why Biden's different.

#1: "This is not just about the past, it's about the future. Voters need to judge us on the judgments we've made and the lessons we've learned. Sen. Clinton has not said her vote was a mistake, she's simply blamed the civilian and military leader that carried out the policies she authorized. If you don't know why Iraq met the threshold for war, how can she know what that threshold will be in the future? When I'm president, the buck will stop with the Oval Office."

#2 Obama mailer against Hillary's war vote.

#3: "I think very highly of Sen. Clinton, I think she's a wonderful senator from New York, and I think highly of Bill Clinton, but I think it is fair to say that we had a fundamentally different opinion on the wisdom of this war," said Obama. "I don't think we can revise history when it comes to that."

#4: "I think what is irresponsible and naive is to have authorized a war without asking how we were going to get out," Obama said

#5: Calls it a "big strategic blunder," equivalent to "driving a bus into a ditch" and shows Hillary was "ready to give into George Bush on day one on this critical issue." (Warning, there's filthy Bill Mahr footage in this clip, too.)