Biden: I don't trust the Justice Department to investigate itself over destroyed CIA interrogation tapes

Biden: I don't trust the Justice Department to investigate itself over destroyed CIA interrogation tapes

"I don't have confidence in the President, I don't have confidence in the Vice President, and I don't have confidence in the Justice Department. That's as simple as I can put it."

Senator, Foreign Relations Committee chairman and 2008 presidential hopeful Joseph Biden (D-DE) says to CNN's Wolf Blitzer that special counsel is needed to oversee the investigation into the destruction of 2002 CIA interrogation tapes to avoid a conflict of interest.

The Bush Administration has said that, while they were ordered to safeguard evidence of torture and abuse of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, the recordings in question didn't fall under the rule, as the interrogations in question were performed at secret CIA prisons before the two suspects were transported to Guantanamo.

The very people that are accused of destroying the tapes should not be trusted to oversee themselves, says Biden. He rejects the argument that independent counsel would compromise whatever internal investigation the Bush Administration, especially an Attorney General who refuses to clarify his position on the widely criticized interrogation practice known as "waterboarding," is planning, as head of a heavily scandalized and politicized Justice Department.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has already been stonewalled by Attorney General Mukasey on the matter.

"This calls for a--totally independent forum, which the law calls for, to find out what happened here," says Biden, "because there are criminal charges that are likely to flow."

No one knows how high up the chain the investigation could go, says the Senator.

Video of the exchange, as broadcast on CNN's Late Edition on December 16, 2007, is available to view below.

Biden stands by impeachment threat; Bush has 'damaged us' like no other administration has

Biden stands by impeachment threat; Bush has 'damaged us' like no other administration has

Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) appeared on MSNBC's Hardball and reiterated that he would seek the impeachment of President Bush were he to invade Iran without the permission of Congress.

Biden, a Democratic candidate for the White House himself, was asked by host Chris Matthews if he stood by his earlier comment regarding the impeachment of the president. Biden said yes, explaining it as "a warning."

"The president has no constitutional authority to take this nation to war against a country of 70 million people, unless we're attacked or unless there is proof that we are about to be attacked," said Biden. "And if he does ... I would move to impeach him.

"This administration has damaged us to a degree that no other administration has in American history," the senator remarked. "We have no credibility."

Excerpts from the transcript of the video, found in full here, follow:

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Matthews: Senator Biden, I know you've been the foreign affairs expert for the Democratic Party. Were you snowed? Were you shocked to hear we do not face a weapons system under production in Iran?

Biden: No. I never believed we were. And I said it. I've been trying to engage Iran way back five years ago with Dick Lugar and others, trying to engage them. Look, this is not--you know, if this weren't so deadly earnest--this isn't about curiosity, it's about credibility. This administration has damaged us to a degree that no other administration has in American history. We have no credibility, Chris. ...

...

Biden: We have added to the urban legend in the streets of all the Muslim capitals in the world that this is a war against Islam. We have made it more difficult for every moderate Muslim leader, from Karzai on, to be able to deal directly with us. This is incredibly devastating to our interests in the Middle East, from Iraq through Pakistan, as well as our credibility around the world. It is going to cost us in a way that no one's calculating it. The good news is it makes it harder for these cowboys to go to war. The bad news is we have been further damaged, and that hurts America's interests in a big way.

...

Biden: I don't know what President Bush thinks, but I think he's bought hook, line and sinker the Cheney rationale that the only way for us to be able to be dominant in the 21st century is to use our overwhelming power in the face of the moral disapprobation of the rest of the world, threaten the rest of the world and that's how we avoid war in the future.

I think these guys are irresponsible. But the thing that angers me the most ... is how incomprehensible it is for anyone to think that the president did not know that his intelligence agencies didn't believe what he was saying. I believe that's why these guys came out with now 16 American intelligence agencies uniting, saying, I'm not going to wear the jacket again on this one. ...

MATTHEWS: ...I want to ask you about something you've been involved with. You said that if the president of the United States had launched an attack on Iran without congressional approval, that would have been an impeachable offense.

BIDEN: Absolutely.

MATTHEWS: Do you want to review that comment you made? Well, how do you stand on that now? Do you think...

BIDEN: Yes, I do. I want to stand by that comment I made. The reason I made the comment was as a warning. ... I got together and brought a group of constitutional scholars together to write a piece that I'm going to deliver to the whole United States Senate, pointing out the president has no constitutional authority to take this nation to war against a country of 70 million people, unless we're attacked or unless there is proof that we are about to be attacked. And if he does--if he does--I would move to impeach him. The House obviously has to do that, but I would lead an effort to impeach him.

Biden: Impeachment if Bush bombs Iran

Biden: Impeachment if Bush bombs Iran

By Adam Leech

aleech@seacoastonline.com

November 29, 2007 5:03 PM

Check back mid morning on Friday for a photo gallery from this event

PORTSMOUTH — Presidential hopeful Delaware Sen. Joe Biden stated unequivocally that he will move to impeach President Bush if he bombs Iran without Congressional approval.

Video: Sen Joe Biden on Iraq

Biden spoke in front of a crowd of approximately 100 at a Seacoast Media Group forum Thursday, which focused on the Iraq War and foreign policy. When an audience member expressed fear of another war with Iran, he said he does not typically engage in threats, but had no qualms about issuing a direct warning to the oval office.

“The President has no authority to unilaterally attack Iran and if he does, as foreign relations committee chairman, I will move to impeach,” said Biden, which was followed by a raucous applause.

Biden said he is in the process of meeting with constitutional law experts to prepare a legal memorandum saying as much, and intends to send it to the President.

When resident Joel Carp asked Biden why not impeach now given what has already been done, Biden said it was a valid point but might not be constitutionally valid and potentially counterproductive. A case for impeachment must have clear evidence, he said, and blame should be directed at the right parties.

“If you’re going to impeach George Bush, you better impeach Cheney first,” said Biden, which also received applause.

Biden said the best deterrent to prevent preemptive military action in Iran is to make it clear, even if it is at the end of his final term, action will be taken against Bush to ensure “his legacy will be marred for all time.”

Biden took shots at the Bush administration’s idea to centralize government in Baghdad and called his decentralized plan the only way to political settlement. The recent decline in violence in Iraq, which some Republicans have credited to the surge, is the result of the military doing its job. President Bush, he said, has not done his job in using the relative peace to find a political compromise as he promised.

“There’s no evidence it has happened and no evidence it will happen,” he said.

Throughout the forum, Biden stressed the need to improve foreign relations throughout the world and pointed to his 29-year resume as proof that he can make that happen.

Biden joked about his low poll numbers, how the national media does not cover him and the lack of funding compared to the coffers of fellow hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

“This is why I’m in New Hampshire and Iowa,” he said. “It’s the last level playing field.”

Biden went to his next appearance knowing he had at least one more vote. As the forum was coming to an end, Byrl Short stood up and announced his support.

“I came here an undecided voter,” he said. “And you are the man.”

Biden slams Bush's strategy on Tehran

Touts own record on foreign policy

By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff | October 27, 2007

Joseph R. Biden Jr. called President Bush's strategy to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions "mindless" and dangerous yesterday, asserting that radical elements in Pakistan and international terrorists pose graver nuclear threats to the United States.

In a 90-minute question-and-answer session with Globe editors and reporters, the Delaware senator also spoke confidently about competing for the Democratic presidential nomination despite his single-digit showing in current polls, suggested the candidacies of rivals Barack Obama and John Edwards might be fading, and warned that putting Hillary Clinton on the ticket would make the 2008 election more difficult for the Democratic Party.

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a 35-year veteran of Congress who is one of his party's leaders on Iraq policy said he would benefit from voter concern about foreign policy, which he contends has never been greater. He said a military strike would only set back Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program by 18 months or two years, and would backfire by weakening US allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, radicalizing the Muslim world, and uniting the Iranian government behind their leader.

"This is a mindless, mindless approach to dealing with proliferation," he said.

Biden voted last month against a Senate resolution that declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. It passed 76 to 22, but Clinton was the only presidential candidate to vote for it. Her vote became a major campaign issue that was rekindled Thursday when the Bush administration announced stricter economic sanctions against Iran.

Biden said the resolution handed the president a justification for attacking Iran, declaring "I have zero faith" in Bush's judgment. Based on about 15 to 17 hours spent with the president, Biden said, "he is a lot brighter than most people think, but he is absolutely driven by his instincts and not by his knowledge, the knowledge base of what the hell we're dealing with."

The "saving grace" in the Bush administration, Biden said, is Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who he believes has set a "red line" against military action unless the Iranian regime attacks US forces.

Biden, in addition to touting his own foreign policy expertise, said his experience in the Senate equips him to forge consensus on major issues.

"I don't think Hillary is nearly as skilled as I am - I mean it sincerely - in getting big ideas into the mainstream of the American public," he said. "Go back and look at my record over 30 years. I'm actually one of those senators who has a record of accomplishment."

The senator said the healthcare plan he unveiled this week, which focuses on insuring children and covering catastrophic illness but stops short of mandating that every American have health insurance, is a realistic approach.

Biden said he would aggressively contend with climate change. On his first day in office, he would sign an executive order mandating that the federal government buy only vehicles that get at least 40 miles a gallon and build only "green" buildings. That would spur states to do the same, he said, and encourage the free market to develop more energy- efficient products.

As for his candidacy, Biden said that "there is a little bit of sunlight coming through the fog," and that the field was opening up so that he could emerge as the primary challenger to Clinton. "There is a sense, whether it is accurate or not, that Barack has plateaued and may be not ready," while for Edwards, "the sheen is a little off in terms of the possibility that he can make it."

Biden said the crowds at his speeches have grown from 70 people earlier this year to 300 or 400 in Iowa.

"If I come out one, two, or three," he said, "I think I win the nomination."

He said Democrats should consider whether Clinton as the nominee would hurt their chances to recapture the White House.

The question is whether the campaign will "be about the failure of the Republicans and us being able to focus on that or the issue about both the Clintons," he said. "It would be the same if Jeb Bush were the nominee to replace President Bush."

Can Joe Biden Catch Fire?

Can Joe Biden Catch Fire? by John McDonald

The Charcoal Pit President

The Charcoal Pit in Wilmington, Delaware is the kind of place where you can get a cheesesteak and fries and something cold to drink. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s dependable. For more than thirty years its been a spot where parents take their kids, where cheerleaders giggle over cokes, where truck drivers grab a sandwich, or a salesmen stops in for lunch. My wife used to hang out there when she was a cheerleader at Concord High School. It’s kind of an institution in Wilmington. Sure, people get excited about going out to fancier restaurants, but they always come back to the Charcoal Pit.

Every now and then, one of the Charcoal Pit’s customers is another Delaware institution, Senator Joe Biden, who has been known to stop in for a steak sandwich on his weekend trips back to his home state. Like the Charcoal Pit, Biden isn’t exactly flashy, but he has been a dependable senator for Delaware and the nation since he was elected in 1972 at the ripe old age of 29.

Now, some thirty-five years later, Senator Biden has launched what would seem to be an underdog bid to be the nation’s next president. The question is can he show enough sizzle to catch fire?

At first glance the answer would appear to be no. The nation’s pundits have anointed Hillary, Obama and Edwards as the frontrunners, and the smart money is on that triumvirate, with Biden trailing badly in fundraising. But maybe voters, like diners who have tired of the fancy stuff, are ready to take another look at Biden. Maybe Biden is like a charcoal pit, the coals have been smoldering for a while and they are about ready to burst into flames. And who knows, maybe the voters are ready for some steak.

There are some signs that Biden may be ready to get hot. Earlier this week he gave a terrific, emotional speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate, angrily calling on his colleagues to challenge the President on his policies on Iraq saying “every person in Congress should be saying right now: Mr. President, you're leading us off a cliff. Stop!" (watch the speech at (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ehzEgU-oVI.) This week, the Senate also voted to begin debate on the war and will consider legislation by Biden and Senator Carl Levin (D. Michigan) that would narrow the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq, begin to withdraw troops and pursue a political settlement. Biden has also launched a new website, www.EndingTheWar.com, an online petition to support the binding resolution. And Biden has offered what is the most specific plan to date of any Democrat detailing a way out of the war. (See the Biden-Gelb plan at http://planforiraq.com)

The mantra of this presidential campaign is going to be “its Iraq, stupid,” and as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden is well positioned to take advantage of that fact. As he said earlier this week, “I will continue pounding away at this everyday to get the President to change his course in Iraq.” As the debate on Iraq intensifies, Biden’s visibility will only increase.

And beyond Iraq, as the Democratic primary season begins, voters will also begin to ask themselves an important question. Who do they think can win? Many Democrats have concerns that Hillary is too polarizing, that she may have a very difficult time attracting independent or cross over voters. Personally, I would vote for her in a heartbeat, but a lot of people won’t. And unfortunately, an Obama candidacy raises concerns among some that America may not yet be ready to elect a Black man to the nation’s highest office. That leaves John Edwards and a few other guys, and our Charcoal Pit candidate, Joe Biden.

Biden might have the advantage. Not only do his years in the Senate lend him a gravitas on foreign policy matters that the election may turn on, he may have already made some tactical steps that will serve him well in the general election. To win the presidency, any Democrat will have to win all of the states that John Kerry won in 2004. That’s the easy part. The hard part comes in figuring out how to win Florida or Ohio, or some combination of western states like Arizona and Nevada. Biden is apparently thinking ahead. While Hillary was locking up all the high priced talent, Old Charcoal Pit went and hired Luis Navarro, who has served as the executive director of the Florida Democratic Party since August 2005. Navarro also worked as the as Western states director for America Coming Together and was the national political director for the powerful Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Those connections will not only help Biden in the primaries, should he prevail, Navarro’s contacts in Florida will help Biden to hit the ground running in that crucial state. And no Democratic candidate will prevail in Nevada without the crucial support of SEIU, a support Navarro can help to deliver.

I’m not ready to say that Biden will be the candidate. But I will say that I’m not ready to declare Hillary, Obama or Edwards the winner yet either. Right now, Democratic voters may be excited about the fancy stuff. But after awhile, they may decide that they are in the mood for a cheesesteak. And Old Charcoal Pit may look pretty good.