Biden blasts Bush for not calling Musharraf sooner

[PatSeg]

From The Hill:

Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), one of his party’s foremost foreign policy experts, strongly criticized President Bush for waiting until Wednesday to call Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf about his country’s state of emergency.

“President Bush finally got around to calling Musharraf yesterday,” said Biden, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, in New Hampshire. He added, “I can tell you this: If I’m elected, I won’t wait five days to pick up the phone or delegate matters of this magnitude to my secretary of state or to my ambassador. There is too much at stake to leave this kind of conversation to others.”

The White House had sidestepped reporters’ questions all week about why Bush had not contacted Musharraf directly before the two leaders spoke Wednesday.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/biden-blasts-bush-for-not-calling-musharraf-sooner-2007-11-08.html

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. In fairness, do we really want Bush calling anyone? (Wonder if Bush calls him 'mushy')

[incapsulated]

2. Normally I would agree...

But what does this guy have to do, declare himself Grand Supremo Generalissimo for Life before they make a call and say, Dude?

[PatSeg]

3. Good point

He'd probably talk with his mouth full of food!

[youthere]

5. One can only hope it will be a pretzel.

[youthere]

4. Kicking

[gateley]

6. Whoa - Great rapport with foreign leaders, George...

Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters aboard Air Force One Thursday that the two presidents “spoke for several minutes” and that Musharraf “listened carefully to what the president had to say and heard his message.”

By that time Biden had already spoken with Musharraf AND Bhutto.

Is Bush just dismissing Bhutto? Does he not see the entire situation?

I'm digging out my rosary.

[lyonn]

7. Biden slam dunks Bush

From Hill article:

"The White House had sidestepped reporters’ questions all week about why Bush had not contacted Musharraf directly before the two leaders spoke Wednesday."

"Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters aboard Air Force One Thursday that the two presidents “spoke for several minutes” and that Musharraf “listened carefully to what the president had to say and heard his message.”

Are any other candidates covering this issue besides Biden?

[jillan]

8. And this is why Biden should be the next POTUS

"If I’m elected, I won’t wait five days to pick up the phone or delegate matters of this magnitude to my secretary of state or to my ambassador. There is too much at stake to leave this kind of conversation to others.”

[jillan]

9. And this is why Biden should be the next POTUS

"If I’m elected, I won’t wait five days to pick up the phone or delegate matters of this magnitude to my secretary of state or to my ambassador. There is too much at stake to leave this kind of conversation to others.”

[youthere]

10. I think I heard that somewhere before...

sorry, couldn't resist with the double post and all.:7

[jillan]

11. ha! I didn't even know that happened!

That's what happens when you've been away for a couple of days - my fingers are flying and my brain is going a hundred miles a minute just trying to catch up :P

[BornagainDUer]

12. Biden is mistaken here...

Bush did call him earlier and gave mushyman the go-ahead to declare a state of emergency.