RED-DOG1's Blog

McCain/Palin '08

McCain/Palin '08

 I keep reading blogs here about how Biden was clearly the winner of the VP debate the other night.

Well I think it showed how Biden even after 36 years of experience and political knowledge made more and BIGGER mistakes than Palin could have ever even began to make.

Below is a list of Biden's "mistakes" and straight out lies.

     All of these responses are documented and have been taken from the CNN’s transcript

1. Responding to an invitation to bash Vice President Cheney, Biden says, “The idea he doesn’t realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that’s the Executive Branch.”  Article I actually deals with the legislative, not the executive.  However, he is right that Article I discusses the VP’s powers — but they are defined with respect to the legislature, and there is no mention of the VP’s authority in Article II, counter to Biden’s argument
   
2. Biden further stated, “He has no authority relative to the Congress” — other than to vote in the Senate when there is a tie.  Article I, section 3, states that the VP is the President of the Senate.  He (or she) has no vote unless there is a tie, but holds that position regardless.  At various times in history, the President of the Senate has wielded signficant power by controlling procedure in the Senate.  Nowhere in the Constituion is the VP’s authority limited, or ‘defined’ other than this one mention of the VP’s role (which in any case contradicts Biden’s assertion that the VP has no authority in the legislature).
3. “When we kicked — along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, I said and Barack said, ‘Move NATO forces in there.’”  Um, no. Complete fabrication (on both the Hezbollah-kicking and NATO counts).
4. “[W]e spend more money in three weeks on combat in Iraq than we spent on the entirety of the last seven years that we have been in Afghanistan building that country.”   The totals are $661.1 billion in Iraq versus $177.5 billion in Afghanistan.  Biden inflates the difference by a factor of twenty.
5. “Look, all you have to do is go down Union Street with me in Wilmington [and] go to Katie’s Restaurant or walk into Home Depot with me.”  (CNN’s transcripts says ‘or,’ but Biden clearly says ‘and’ in the video.)  While there was a Katie’s in Wilmington, it has been closed for over twenty years (read down through the comments at the link for details).  It also was not on Union Street. (Also just mentioned on Hot Air; Michelle Malkin mentions it, and has a great ‘Joe Depot’ photoshop to boot.)
6. “Ahmadinejad does not control the security apparatus in Iran. The theocracy controls the security apparatus.”  The theocrats in Iran certainly have a great deal of power, but using that to say Ahmadinejad does not is pretty, well, stupid.  Furthermore, how dumb is the argument that talking to Ahmadinejad does not matter because of this?  Pretty dumb.
7. “This is simply not true about Barack Obama. He did not say sit down with Ahmadinejad.”  Blatant lie.  Now with video! (Thanks and nice job to Voice of Reason).
8. “Our friends and allies have been saying, Gwen, ‘Sit down. Talk. Talk. Talk.’ Our friends and allies have been saying that, five secretaries of state, three of them Republicans. And John McCain has said he would go along with an agreement, but he wouldn’t sit down.”  Biden tries to pull an Obama by deliberately conflating low-level diplomatic contacts with presidential-level talks.  It sounded contrived when Obama did it, too.
9. “So you’re going to have to place — replace a $12,000 plan with a $5,000 check you just give to the insurance company. I call that the ‘Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere.’”  Biden’s first (and only) laugh line of the evening.  It also grossly misrepresents McCain’s plan.  Palin explained it well, and Ramesh PonnuruA better explanation of how Biden is wrong; h/t The Corner) makes the point that wages will rise to offset at least some of the difference.  (See also number 7 on McCain’s list of Biden lies.) 
   
10. “[T]wo years ago Barack Obama warned about the sub prime mortgage crisis.”  Obama claimed this in his debate too.  Prove it.  I have tried to research this, but all I have been able to come up with is an Obama advisor warning against ‘over-regulating subprime mortgages,’ and criticism of Obama’s plan with regard to the subprime mess.  It is easy for Obama to claim, but I won’t believe it until I see some proof beyond the word of Obama or Biden.
11. “The cause is manmade. That’s the cause. That’s why the polar icecap is melting.”  I originally thought that Biden had explicitly said that global warming was 100% manmade, however it is still clear that was his meaning, especially because his answer was a rejection of Palin saying that man was not the exclusive cause.  Even global warming stalwarts only claim that man is most of the cause, not 100%.
12. “She imposed a windfall profits tax up there in Alaska. That’s what Barack Obama and I want to do.”  Blatant mischaracterization lie.  Palin adjusted the severance tax; there was no new/increased windfall-profits tax.  (See number 8 on McCain’s list; comprehensive explanation here.)  Also, it appears that much of the preexisting Alaskan oil and gas windfall tax was repealed while Palin was governor (PDF link).
13. “[O]ur commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principle in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan.”  Although Palin misstated his name (it is McKiernan, not McClellan), Biden misstates his position.  Gen. McKiernan has said that he does not want to use the word surge because it is too tied to Iraq, and that the exact programs in Iraq would not be directly transferable to Afghanistan because of differences in the countries (naturally), but he still advocates a surge.  Just by a different name.
    • Biden then quoted Gen. McKiernan as saying, “we need more troops. We need government-building. We need to spend more money on the infrastructure in Afghanistan.”  So, like Gen. McKiernan, Biden appears to be for the surge as long as it isn’t called the surge.
14. Other items from McCain’s list that I have not otherwise mentioned:  Number 1, mischaracterization of McCain’s votes on taxes.
15. Number 3, Biden’s brand-new support for offshore drilling.
16. Number 5, Biden’s ever-shifting position on clean coal, which even Ifill dinged him on at the debate.  (Also at Hot Air.)
17. Number 10, Biden misrepresented McCain’s position on regulation of the financial sector.
18. Number 12, Biden erroneously set the cutoff at $250,000, rather than $200,000, for Obama’s tax increases.
19. Number 13, the bailout plan only meets two of Obama’s four principles, not all four as Biden stated.
20. Number 14, American’s did not, contrary to what Biden says, pay more taxes under Reagan than they would under Obama
21. “Pakistan already has nuclear weapons. Pakistan already has deployed nuclear weapons. Pakistan’s weapons can already hit Israel and the Mediterranean.” It would take an ICBM, so probably not.  The longest-ranged weapon Pakistan has would only reach about halfway to Israel.  (h/t Ace)
22. “John McCain voted against a Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty that every Republican has supported.”  Every Republican except John McCain and 49 of his Republican colleagues in the Senate, that is.

I find it amusing (in a sad way) how many commentators are praising Biden’s performance because of his knowledge and grasp of detail.  It’s not too hard to grasp details when you pull them out of your own orifices.  The challenge comes later, when you have to remember those sort of ‘facts.’

McCain/Palin '08

McCain/Palin '08