BALTIMORE, Maryland, (CNN) - One day after John McCain questioned Barack Obama’s judgment to be commander-in-chief in front of the conference of the National Guard Association, Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden came to his defense in front of the same gathering Monday, hitting McCain on foreign policy and national security.
Biden also countered John McCain’s accusation that behind Barack Obama’s views “lies the ambition to be president.”
“No one party has a monopoly on virtue or good ideas,” said Biden. “We can question each other’s judgment, that’s what elections are all about but we have to stop questioning each other’s motives and each other’s patriotism.”
“We all put ‘country first,’” he added, borrowing the McCain camp’s slogan. “When John and I send our sons to war, they don’t wear a Republican flag or a Democratic flag. They wear the American flag.”
McCain’s son Jimmy, a Marine lance corporal, has served in Iraq. Biden’s son Beau, Delaware’s attorney general and a member of the state’s National Guard, will be deploying there this fall.
Like McCain’s Sunday remarks, Biden’s lines on patriotism and the American flag got a rousing reception from the crowd. The crowd was silent during his attacks on the Republican nominee.
The senator raised eyebrows among reporters when he veered off his prepared remarks toward the end, replacing short, punchy lines ending with “John was wrong, Barack was right,” with lengthier arguments that referenced his own experience and understanding.
“Whoa!” exclaimed Biden after saying that McCain had asserted before the Iraq war that there was no history of conflict between Sunnis and Shias. “One of my problems is maybe I read too much history. There’s an overwhelming history, an overwhelming history ladies and gentlemen, 1200 years of it, of clashes between Sunnis and Shias.”
“You want to know where Bin Laden is, come back to Afghanistan with me,” he later added. “I can tell you where they are. John says he’ll follow them to the gates of hell. You don’t have to go to hell. Just go to Pakistan. Just go to that area. That superhighway of terror that exists between Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
The original text also ended with the argument that in order to have a strong military, there needs to be a strong economy. Forgoing the planned conclusion, Biden left out the news of the day and a chance to promote the plan Obama was introducing in a “major” economic speech.
Biden heaps praise on the National Guard at every campaign rally and Monday spoke glowingly of the domestic and international work the National Guard has done, and pledged to increase medical and economic support in light of increased service burdens in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Barack and I are here, we are going to set this straight,” he said.
From CNN Politics
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Very very well said Senator Biden.
The reason why our economy is crashing is because of Iraq all the money that was supposed to refuel the economy are been sent to Iraq while the economy is let alone to die. The consumers have no confidence in the market that is mean they will not spend and again the economy will struggle. John McCain does not understand that simple economics formula and stated that the economy is strong. I know that McCain pocket is strong because he is a rich man. But, our economy is not strong.
McCain is grasping at straws. He is looking more and more confused.
GET 'EM JOE!!!!
McCain will do and say anything to attract a vote.
"Like McCain’s Sunday remarks, Biden’s lines on patriotism and the American flag got a rousing reception from the crowd. The crowd was silent during his attacks on the Republican nominee."
Of course they were silent when he started attacking b/c they know he is full of it....
McCain/Palin all the way. Despite what the left leaning, in Obama's back pocket CNN, NY Times, MSNBC etc. try to portray, McCain will win in '08
The more I watch Biden the more I like him. After watching McCain/Palin lie non stop for the last couple of weeks its nice to hear someone speak some truth.
Yes we can
MCCAIN'S idea of Country first is WE, UNCLE SAME, want your kids,
and your taxmoney, but WE, don't want to help ya!!!!!!!!!
Palin said, we may be going to War with Russia!!!! Oh, no, did they
let her out in the public too soon????!!!!!
And Iran? That would be 4 wars!!!!!! for the good ole USA!
OBAMA BIDEN 2008 or BUST!!!!!
McCain is a tool.
McCain has poor judgment.
Sarah was a poor judgment.
Going to war in Iraq was poor ludgment.
Bomb Iran is poor judgemnt.
We are all Georgians is poor judgment.
Go Joe, Go.
Biden did a good job but Obama should have been there instead of him.
I love Joe Biden. He is a real guy. So done to earth.
I LOVE THIS GUY.
HE JUST TELLS IT LIKE IT IS!!!!
CAN'T WAIT FOR THE DEBATE WITH MS "I CAN SEE RUSSIA FROM ALASKA"
YES WE CAN!!!
OBAMA/BIDEN ALL THE WAY IN 2008
Sen. Biden,
We love you and your family, and certainly support any and all family members who take on the burdens of war. You put the case extremely well here, and I only wish your old friend, John McCain, would snap out of this mongering period in his life.
Biden is right... I cannot wait until the debates.. althought there are stipulations... Sarah cannot touch Joe with a 10 foot poll.
Senator Biden you are right, tell people the truth about Palin and her Middle Age ideas , her lies – over and over , these people are SHAMELESS!
As Obama said on 60 minutes; McCain conveniently overlooks the five years before the "surge" when he advocated for the invasion of Iraq and lacked the judgment, foresight and understanding of its consequences.
MCCAIN was WRONG on Iraq and he lacks the credibility, temperment and respect from world leaders and their citizens to do anything to repair coalitions or America's standing in the world.
His rash pronouncements about Russia reveals the type of empty rhetoric that he would bring to the world stage!
Many Americans think that they can go it alone or that most of the world will fall lock step behind the US but Iraq proves them wrong. McCain lacks a 21st century of the world!!
Biden's a stooge.
The only people that listen to Biden are Obama followers.
Joe Joe Joe
Our Man Joe
Joe for VP
Joe for President-someday.
You go and set forth the T R U T H on stone.
Well done Joe the GREAT WHITE SHARK without Lipstick.
I agree with Ron from Baltimore
Set 'em straight Joe!
McCain and his Georgian buddy are destined to get us into war with Russia...
We need Obama/Biden!
Too bad CNN can't be balanced and unfair in its reporting. We hear the Liberal side...we see the CNN polls that favor Obama (but other polls show a statistical dead heat of course)...You don't hear about Obama requesting from the Iraqi president not to request troop withdrawal until after the election so he could continue his "end the war" campaign...you don't hear about Al Franken who is running for Senator who is giving SNL skits to put on against McCain...you don't hear about SNL doing a skit accusing the Palin family of INCEST...which is disgusting beyond words.
You just see this mindless blog of people who were probably paid by Obama to flood the blogs with 12-year-old anti-conservative remarks and liberal talking points.
The only thing scarier to me than Obama winning is that the news media is in the pocket of the Democrats. That's not a democracy. That's propaganda.