Biden on HC and BO and JM foreign policy; whether he'd take VP or Sec of State

Muttocracy

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Feb-27-08 08:45 PM
Original message

Biden on HC and BO and JM foreign policy; whether he'd take VP or Sec of State

Biden junkie that I am, reading the transcript from his talk at the Council of Foreign Relations on the trip Biden, Kerry, and Hagel took to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Turkey. Katie Couric was moderator. From the Q&A at the end:

http://www.cfr.org/publication/15600/conversation_with_senator_joseph_r_biden_jr_rush_transcript_federal_news_service.html

COURIC: I'm going to have to ask the audience -- the audience for questions in a minute, but before I do, I have to ask you about the election briefly. If I might --

BIDEN: I am very sorry I'm not the nominee. (Laughter.) What can I say?

COURIC: I think there are other people who feel that way as well, Senator.

BIDEN: Not many. (Laughter.)

COURIC: But I'm curious if you could just spend a couple of minutes -- and I don't want to take time from the audience -- but evaluating sort of the foreign policy prowess of the remaining candidates. What -- and if there's anything in their foreign policy vision that gives you any pause at all --
starting with John McCain.

BIDEN: You know, I know it sounds obligatory. John is a close friend -- for real. John used to work for me, technically, when he was a Navy liaison. Every place I traveled -- you remember when we'd travel places -- John -- he says he carried my bags. He never did, never did. And I'm a personal friend of John's.

But I think John's vision of American foreign policy is essentially a continuation of this present policy, which I think is -- we're going to pay for for a generation. I was asked the other day on a show where he was criticizing Barack Obama for his statements on Pakistan. And I reminded the questioner that it's been -- what Barack enunciated has been U.S. policy for two presidents. And John's worried about going and striking an ally.

And my response was if you had actual intelligence, and Pakistan would not act, and bin Laden was in your sights, would John not act? And so the problem is that I think that John is just a continuation of a failed policy, and he seems to be moving further to the right -- right's not the right word, but further to lock himself in to that policy in terms of -- in being able to get the nomination.

I think Hillary Clinton is solid and stable. I think she understands it. I think she would move in a significant way beyond the policy that we have now. And I think Barack will as well. He is not, at this point, as sure-footed about that, but he's a very, very smart guy and I think his instincts are all good. I think -- the instinct's to reach out. I don't think he's naive. I think to paint him as naive is significantly underestimating him. There's more to say, but I've probably already said too much. (Laughter.)

Whoever has Holbrooke as secretary of State will be fine. (Laughter.)

QUESTIONER: By the way, are you interested in becoming secretary of State?

BIDEN: I'm interested in working for Holbrooke. (Laughter.)

No, I'm not. I'm interested in being -- quite frankly -- look, one of the places you want to be, if you're going to -- if you think what you do in the Senate makes sense, is I think I could be a very good partner as chairman of the Foreign Relations committee for a Democratic president. And I think I could be a very -- I won't say "very" -- I think I could be a significant hedge against the mistakes of a Republican administration in a Democratically-controlled Congress.

QUESTIONER: So, you're not interested if a Democrat's elected, to become secretary of State.

BIDEN: No. No, I'm not. But, look, I mean, let's get straight here. One of the things -- I've been around a long time, one of the things you know is when people ask you, in the context of an election, to do something, or afterwards, it's very easy to say you don't want to do it. I don't want to do it. But would I say no if I was asked to do it? I think it would be pretty hard to say no if a Democratic president thought that they needed me. I don't think we have to worry about that.

QUESTIONER: What about as a vice presidential candidate?

BIDEN: (Laughs.) Oh, bless me father, for I have sinned. (Laughter.)

I really would not like to be vice president. Again, though, I don't want to -- I had this bad habit of being, if not straightforward, at least blunt. Were I asked to do that, how could you turn -- if the nominee gave you indication, and showed you numbers that you on the ticket would help.

But I promise you, I do not want to be vice president. And I made it clear, as I did with John Kerry, I don't want to be on anybody's list. The last thing I want to be is to be, quote, "considered." (Laughter.) You know, if they're going to do it, just ask me, don't consider me. (Laughter.) (Applause.)