Lunch Pail Joe's Debate Gaffes Reveal He is Not Ready for Prime Time

George C. Landrith

The vice-presidential debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin is now in the history books. After the media's savaging of Gov. Palin the past couple weeks, many were expecting Sen. Biden to deliver a knockout blow. But that did not happen. Sen. Biden seemed intent on proving that he was the master of details. Perhaps Biden won the minutia prize, but he lost the debate. He tried to dazzle us with details, but many of them were mere fabrications with no basis in reality or fact.

For example, Biden incredulously claimed that Senator Barack Obama argued against the Bush administration's support of all parties in Palestine participating in elections in 2005, including Hamas, saying, "Barack Obama said, 'Big mistake. Hamas will win. You'll legitimize them.'" The problem is there is no record whatsoever that Obama said anything close to that. Obama had been a Senator only a few days at that time and an exhaustive search of news databases like Nexis and Factiva reveal no such warnings from Obama.

Biden has a problem telling the truth -- he is a serial exaggerator and fabricator. He wove a carefully worded story to imply that the helicopter he was in was forced down by enemy fire in Afghanistan. But that wasn't true. Bad weather was the cause, not Taliban enemy fire. Another time, Biden implied that while in Iraq, he was shot at. But that wasn't true either. Now, in the debate and on the campaign trail both Barack and Joe are telling America that they opposed things they did not oppose, supported things they did not support, and gave warnings they did not give.

While Biden had lots of details at his finger tips, it doesn't count when you make them up. For details to have any relevance, they must at least be true. Biden's specialty is detailed fairy tales. But that is not change we can believe in.

Biden claimed that Senator John McCain wouldn't even "sit down with the government of Spain -- a NATO ally that has troops in Afghanistan with us now. I find that incredible." What is incredible is that Biden is so detached from reality and so freely fabricates baseless stories. McCain was asked if he would meet with the prime minister of Spain and responded, "I'm willing to meet with any leader who is dedicated to the same principles and philosophy that we are for human rights, democracy and freedom and I will stand up to those who are not." Additionally, in an interview with a Spanish newspaper, McCain said, "This is the moment to leave behind discrepancies with Spain" and that he would invite the prime minister of Spain to visit the United States.

Biden accused McCain of proposing huge tax breaks for big oil. But McCain has proposed no tax cuts for oil companies. Zero. McCain has proposed a broad-based tax plan that applies across the board to all corporations designed to increase investment and job creation. But there is no McCain proposal to give tax breaks to big oil. Biden's argument is no different than if McCain were to argue that Obama is proposing tax breaks for child molesters and drug dealers on grounds that reducing taxes generally on the populace will give some tax benefit to child molesters or drug dealers who may be part of the general populace.

In the debate, Biden was the master of bogus, made-up details. The problem is most Americans call that sleazy politics as usual. I thought Obama and Biden were promising change. That is why Gov. Palin won.

Palin spoke directly to voters and explained her views and her experience. She didn't exaggerate what she has done or who she is. She had the confidence to know that her life and experience and philosophy were good enough and she didn't have to make things up to impress America. Biden after 35 years in the Senate still believes he has to embellish his resume to land the job.

Gov. Palin had most of America from the start when she asked, "Can I call you Joe?" She closed the deal when she responded to one of Senator Biden's silly answers whining about George Bush and bragging how he, Sen. Biden, is a regular Joe hanging out with folks at Home Depot, "Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again. You prefaced your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let's look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future." That is what America is looking for.

Biden is the master of made-up fairy tale details. Palin is the champion of real Americans who know fairy tales aren't true.

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Mr. Landrith is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was Business Editor of the Virginia Journal of Law and Politics. He had a successful law practice in business and litigation. In 1994 and 1996, Mr. Landrith was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's Fifth Congressional District. He served on the Albemarle County School Board. Mr. Landrith is an adjunct professor at the George Mason School of Law. He is recognized as an authority on constitutional law and jurisprudence, federalism, global warming, and property rights.

george@ff.org