Jim has a good take today on Biden’s gaffes and how the worst-case scenario for Democrats is that he wins the nomination, then the snafus become a major issue in the general. Regarding the botched war story that the Washington Post reported on, I understand a story getting fuzzy and better with the re-telling. But in discussing the valor of our troops in harrowing circumstances, there’s a special obligation to get the details right. And what’s unforgivable is Biden inserting his own apparently made-up bravery into the story:
Joe Biden painted a vivid scene for the 400 people packed into a college meeting hall. A four-star general had asked the then-vice president to travel to Konar province in Afghanistan, a dangerous foray into “godforsaken country” to recognize the remarkable heroism of a Navy captain.
Some told him it was too risky, but Biden said he brushed off their concerns.
“We can lose a vice president,” he said. “We can’t lose many more of these kids. Not a joke.”
There is nothing in the Post story that substantiates this part of the yarn, which appears to be a grotesque insertion of self-regarding fictional valor into a (mixed-up) story about true bravery and selflessness.