Today in Cincinnati, Joe Biden delivered the most lucid and powerful argument for Obama as Commander in Chief over John McCain that I've ever heard articulated by anyone. He laid out in meticulous detail a series of comparisons over the last 8 years between McCain and Obama on everything from Iraq to Russia. He touched on everything including McCain's refusal to meet with the leader of Spain. But in particular he centered in on the issue of judgment and the striking difference between these two men:
Politico
“This week, John talked about the judgment required to be Commander in Chief. He’s right: nothing is more important than judgment,” Biden said. “But time and again, on the most critical national security issues of our time, John McCain’s judgment was wrong.”
“John McCain continues to insist, against all the evidence and all the facts, that Iraq is the central front in the war on terrorism… and not the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan where the people who actually attacked us on 9-11 reside and are regrouping.”
Wow. I am just blown away. Follow below ......
I was a bit concerned that a shift in focus from the economy to foreign policy in the first debate might hurt Obama's momentum, but not anymore. Obama/Biden have an absolutely inspirationally powerful and compelling argument for their leadership on foreign policy.
The Democratic vice presidential nominee said that immediately following the September 11 terrorist attacks McCain “responded by urging that we consider attacking countries other than Afghanistan, including Iraq, Iran and Syria.”
“In the run up to the war in Iraq, John insisted that we would be greeted as liberators… that we didn’t need a lot of troops… that victory was imminent. Then, he said he wasn’t worried about Afghanistan… that we would ‘muddle through’… and he declared Afghanistan to be ‘a remarkable success,’” Biden added.
“In John’s judgment, there is nothing to talk about with Tehran. And he has one idea for dealing with Russia: kick it out of the Group of Eight nations.”
I will update this diary as I get more text of the speech and hopefully video, but wow. The difference between these 2 tickets on foreign policy couldn't be more striking. This was a phenomenal speech.
UPDATE:
AP Story
Politico Story
More from TPM:
[T]ime and again, on the most critical national security issues of our time, John McCain's judgment was wrong. Right after the terrorists attacked us on 9-11, John responded by urging that we consider attacking countries other than Afghanistan, including Iraq, Iran and Syria. In the run up to the war in Iraq, John insisted that we would be greeted as liberators... that we didn't need a lot of troops... that victory was imminent.
Then, he said he wasn't worried about Afghanistan... that we would "muddle through"... and he declared Afghanistan to be "a remarkable success. In John's judgment, there is nothing to talk about with Tehran. And he has one idea for dealing with Russia: kick it out of the Group of Eight nations."
John McCain continues to insist, against all the evidence and all the facts, that Iraq is the central front in the war on terrorism... and not the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan where the people who actually attacked us on 9-11 reside and are regrouping."
"John is more than wrong -- he is dangerously wrong. On a question so basic, so fundamental, so critical to our nation's security, we can't afford a Commander-in Chief so divorced from reality and from America's most basic national interests."
Sneak peek at today's upcoming NBC/WSJ Poll from MSNBC:
Forty-nine percent say that Palin is unqualified to be president if the need arises, compared with 40 percent who say she's qualified.
By contrast, 64 percent believe Biden is qualified to be president, versus just 21 percent who disagree.
VIDEO UPDATE: I'm still hoping for a full video of the speech, but for now, here are some excerpts:
Biden quotes Admiral Mullen:
On actionable intelligence in Pakistan: