Israel Matzav

Biden is soft on Iran

Shavua tov - a good week to everyone.

Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama has chosen his running mate and it's Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, a Washington 'insider.' Haaretz has an analysis on Biden that includes the following:

Biden is a firm supporter of Israel, but the way he sees the U.S.'s role in the Middle East doesn't necessarily reflect Jerusalem's ideal of the ideal "American partner."

When it comes to the Iranian threat, it is not clear that the Obama-Biden combo will raise smiles in Jerusalem. Biden's past remarks have sparked criticism and have been described as "inconsistent." Biden has said more than once that he does not think that isolating Iran is the most efficient way to combat the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions, and he has even urged sensitivity to Iran's needs. He met with a senior Iranian official in Davos, which led his detractors to say that he was willing to negotiate with an extremist regime that supports terrorism. On the other hand, Biden has proclaimed that a nuclear Iran was "unacceptable."

Following Obama's announcement that he selected Biden, the Republican Jewish Coalition immediately issued a response, saying that with Biden, Obama's ticket was even more dangerous. Matthew Brooks, a senior coalition official, explained that Biden makes a vote for Obama an even bigger gamble for the Jewish community, adding that like Obama, Biden lacks a basic understanding of the threat Iran poses.

Anyone who thinks he can negotiate Ahmadinejad away from nuclear weapons (or from using them - God forbid - against Israel) is living in a dream world.

UPDATE 10:20 PM

From a 2001 The New Republic article (shortly after 9/11) (Hat Tip: Beens21 via Little Green Footballs):

At the Tuesday-morning meeting with committee staffers, Biden launches into a stream-of-consciousness monologue about what his committee should be doing, before he finally admits the obvious: "I'm groping here." Then he hits on an idea: America needs to show the Arab world that we're not bent on its destruction. "Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200 million to Iran," Biden declares. He surveys the table with raised eyebrows, a How do ya like that? look on his face.

The staffers sit in silence. Finally somebody ventures a response: "I think they'd send it back." Then another aide speaks up delicately: "The thing I would worry about is that it would almost look like a publicity stunt." Still another reminds Biden that an Iranian delegation is in Moscow that very day to discuss a $300 million arms deal with Vladimir Putin that the United States has strongly condemned. But Joe Biden is barely listening anymore. He's already moved on to something else.

Say it ain't so. This guy as Vice President? You've got to be kidding.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:04 PM