October 12, 2012

Biden Foreign Policy Claims Belied by the Facts

Though long on rhetoric, Vice President Biden’s foreign policy claims are undermined by actual facts and practice.

Libya

Claim: In likely the most outrageous claim of all, most clearly belied by facts revealed just 24 hours earlier, Vice President Biden claimed “we weren’t told they wanted more security [in Benghazi, Libya]. We did not know they wanted more security there.”

Facts: According to one media analysis: “On Wednesday, two former security officials in Libya testified before a House committee that they repeatedly requested more security, but that the requests were denied by the State Department.”

Iran

Claim: Vice President Biden claimed they are using the “most crippling sanctions in the history of sanctions” against Iran.

Facts:

  1. On December 11, 2009, the Obama Administration wrote to Congress to oppose the Iran sanctions bill making its way through Congress at that time.
  2. On December 1, 2011, the Obama Administration wrote to Congress to express its “strong opposition” to legislation sanctioning the Central Bank of Iran, one of the hallmarks of crippling sanctions.
  3. President Obama was essentially forced to sign these bills into law when they passed both Houses of Congress with veto-proof majorities; his Administration went on to implement them meekly.
    1. Of the 23 countries that import Iranian crude oil according to the State Department, President Obama has waived sanctions for 20 of them, including China, the likely single largest importer of Iranian oil.
    2. Iran continues to accelerate its nuclear program, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, doubling its underground nuclear capability just this past summer alone.

Iraq/Afghanistan

Claim: Vice President Biden complained about Congressman Ryan “voting to put two wars on a credit card.”

Facts:

  1. Senator Biden voted for the Iraq war exactly ten years earlier, on October 11, 2002.
  2. Senator Biden voted for the war in Afghanistan on September 14, 2001.

Bin Laden

Claim: Vice President Biden praised the action against Osama bin Laden while questioning whether Governor Romney would have taken similar action.

Facts: According to ABC News: “Joe Biden Advised Against the Osama Bin Laden Raid.”

The foreign policy expert of the Obama Administration used his time last night to make a collection of claims very long on style but utterly lacking in any substance or factual support.

Issue Tag: National Security