Posted on 07/05/2009 2:25:10 PM PDT by reaganaut1
Plunging squarely into one of the most sensitive issues in the Middle East, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. suggested on Sunday that the United States would not stand in the way of Israeli military action aimed at the Iranian nuclear program.
The United States, Mr. Biden said in an interview broadcast on ABC’s “This Week,” “cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do.”
"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," he said, in an interview taped in Baghdad at the end of a visit there.
The remarks went beyond at least the spirit of any public utterances by President Barack Obama, who has said that diplomatic efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program should be given to the end of the year. But the president has also said that he is “not reconciled” to the possibility of Iran possessing a nuclear weapon — a goal Tehran denies.
Mr. Biden’s comments came at a particularly sensitive time, amid the continuing tumult over the disputed Iranian elections, and seemed to risk handing a besieged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a new tool with which to fan nationalist sentiments in Iran.
What was not immediately clear was whether Mr. Biden, who has a long-standing reputation for speaking volubly — and sometimes going too far in the heat of the moment — was sending an officially sanctioned message.
The Obama administration has said, and Mr. Biden reaffirmed this, that it remains open to negotiations with Tehran, even after the bitterly contested election that returned Mr. Ahmadinejad to the presidency.
“If the Iranians respond to the offer of engagement, we will engage,” Mr. Biden said. “The offer’s on the table.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
WOW ... Biden Making Sense??? Don’t think I’ve ever heard Biden say something I’d agree with.
Give OZERO the chance to weasel out by saying ... LOL LOL THere goes OLD JOE again... hahahah
Can Biden tie his own shoes? Is this what passes for foreign policy expertise, in the Senate?
Impulse control problem. He’ll backtrack shortly.
now after reading this on Debka, I’m beginning to think that it’s almost a good thing. We ought to be more supportive of Israel; but if we’re not going to, the next best thing is to stand out of their way.
(Yet, on the other hand, didn’t Hillary send $900 million in aid to Gaza? . . . They said “Don’t worry, it won’t get into the hands of Hamas. The UN is taking care of it.” - And Bush gave $85 million, I think, before that?)
Does this mean that the US is going to drop its long-standing denial of Israeli fly-over rights over Iraq?
Rather, it sounds like they’ll fly over Saudi Arabia.
This is probably just wishful thinking but is it possible that the ObamaComs used their Village Idiot to signal to the Israelis that Obama would appreciate it if they would take care of his Iran problem?
A flight path over Saudi Arabia would be much longer than going over Iraq but since the Bush Administration denied Iraqi fly-over rights to Israel, I would be surprised if the Obama Administration would grant such rights to Israel.
But it may just be Biden is being “Rainman” Biden.
Can’t you see that this is a treacherous obama machination to undermine the pro-democracy movement in Iran and gives incentive to the thugs to cracked down on demonstrators?
Can’t you see all hussein is doing is strengthening the hand of the murders, giving them a green light to squash the revolt once and for all so that the two parties, nobama and mullah gangster goons, can sit down to the business of grand bargaining???
I’m not blind or stupid! I don’t trust NOBAMA any more than ANY DEMOCRAT.
As Israel’s Intelligence is MUCH BETTER than OURS, They should strike NOW while the GOVT is Distracted with those “Damned KIDS” and their protests. I probably would have done it last week... Infrastructure, the people in the streets would see that someone is on their side, which they surely can’t get from OZERO!!!
If you think Israeli military would hit the protestors, you are the one that can’t see.
Saudis give nod to Israeli raid on Iran
The Times | July 5, 2009 | Uzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv and Sarah Baxter
Posted on 07/04/2009 10:01:56 PM PDT by Cinnamon Girl
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2285767/posts
Maybe the Saudis gave Obama/Biden new instructions.
Except that part about Obama telling Israel they better not even think about a preemptive strike against Iran.
Why thanks Joe for giving Israel, a sovereign nation the OK to defend itself from annihilation. If the shoe were on the other foot, you could be sure that Israel would not turn it’s back on another democratic free nation.
Oh and btw, when the USA gives back the lands and spoils won from: The Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, The War for Texas Independence, The Mexican War, The Spanish-American War, World War II (against Japan), World War I and the ships seized from Germany, then and only then could the US tell Israel what to do with the spoils of their war and winning properties.
Some deeply evil dark angel of light is rearing his ugly head.
Now with Biden saying its OK...Something tells me this is a trap for Israel.
“cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do.” Like demanding new building stop in the West Bank?????
Joe was obviously drunk. He'll sober up and retract that soon enough.
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