A few days ago, Joe Biden was trotted out to make his monthly gaffe. Last time — I think it was last time; it’s hard to follow without a program — it was about how Hillary might have been a better VP candidate. This time he mentioned that a young President Obama was likely to be tested in his first six months. Anyway, that’s what he said, before being rotated back to the Cone of Silence.
The thing I actually like about Joe Biden is that these gaffes of his are actually just the product of a man speaking his mind, and some of the time, he happens to be correct.
There have been a lot of guesses as to what shape this “test” might take. But what really interests me is what Sen. Biden had to say later in the same discussion, speaking “off the record” to Democratic-party stalwarts.
“Gird your loins,” he begins — not good! — and then it gets really interesting…
“I’ve forgotten more about foreign policy than most of my colleagues know, so I’m not being falsely humble with you. “
Sure you are, Joe. Like I said, there are things I like about Joe Biden. But this perpetual, essential need to puff himself up really tells me the man has serious insecurity issues. But we digress.
“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.”
So, with the clear understanding that all that follows is the reading of tea leaves and chicken entrails… What the hell was Joe Biden hinting at? What possible action would drive a President Obama’s poll numbers down into the ground?
Well, some people have argued that if Iran and Israel decide to get serious — and if an Obama administration did essentially nothing to defend our ally… how would the vast majority of American Jews — largely Democrats — take that? Could that be the poll hit that Democrats need to “gird their loins” for?
That’s depressing. Here’s something even more depressing: What if Biden is hinting that Obama would indeed get us involved militarily at Israel’s side — or anywhere else, for that matter. In other words, if Obama were to step up and do the right thing, and put America in the middle of another war — would that be what he wants to brace the base for?
What’s depressing about that? Well, in a fundamentally moral country — or political party — such an action should make his poll numbers shoot
up.
Another theory: Recruitment is apparently falling off sharply within the last month or so. I have heard, anecdotally, that new recruits are waiting out the election, since most of them have no desire to serve in the kind of toothless military they see under a President Obama. Is Joe Biden warning us that Obama may need to reinstate the draft to make up for a sudden plunge in volunteers? Who knows? I wonder what the Obama Youth Vote would think if that comes to pass.
Finally, Ed Morrissey over at Hotair.com is wondering if this may all be preamble to something Barack Obama outlines in no uncertain terms in a video you can watch with your own eyes right here.
If you’re new to these intertubes, here’s the print version: He is sitting in what appears to be his senate office, and says, quite clearly, that:
“I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I will not weaponize space. I will slow our development of future combat systems. [snip] I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons. To seek that goal, I will not develop new nuclear weapons. I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile material. And I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBM’s off hair-trigger alert.”
Wow.
Is Barack Obama planning a unilateral drawdown of U.S. forces? He says that’s what he wants, and he sounds pretty clear about it to me.
There’s a lot to say about that, obviously, but my first thought was that if this became national policy for the United States, we can count on the press brigades that were diligently deployed to determine irregularities in Sarah Palin’s 4-H dues from 1981 and Joe the Plummer’s failure to use American-made Teflon tape to descend on the disarmament procedure and make sure each warhead and every gram was diligently disposed of.
As far as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are concerned… well, they will undoubtedly by moved by the high moral purpose involved — not to mention the fact that it’s Obama who’s asking! — and so I don’t think we need to be too concerned about compliance on their end.
So what was Joe hinting at? What was going to cause Obama’s poll numbers to crater? Perhaps Biden has advance warning that Obama plans to close Disney World and use the facilities to process adorable little bunny rabbits into high-sulfur coal. Again, who knows?
None of these speculations fill me with joy, but I’ll tell you straight up — that last option — unilateral disarmament — makes my blood run cold. When you’re surrounded by armed, raging barbarians, that is not the optimal time to lay down your sword… even if you don’t have the will or the inclination to use it. Why, you may discover that even if you just wave it around a little, it can have a remarkable effect.
Unless you’re running away when you do it, in which case it just pisses them off even more.
— Bill Whittle lives in Los Angeles and is an on-air commentator for www.pjtv.com. You can find him online at www.ejectejecteject.com.