But a report this month from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, commissioned by Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), now the vice president-elect, said the government's most ambitious counter-narcotics program, the $5-billion Plan Colombia, failed to meet several goals. Interdiction halved opium and heroin production in Colombia from 2000 to 2006, but coca and cocaine production continued to grow, it said.
LATimes
ABC News
"We've made it clear that we think there should be a public plan," Vice President Biden said yesterday.
"But a public plan is on a continuum. For example, there was a, there, there was a, a big headline saying the AMA says they won't support a public plan and no one will support a public plan. Well, the truth of the matter is the AMA said certain kinds of public plans they might support. So the question is, what is the public plan? Is the public plan just, just Medicare? Is that the public plan? Do you add everybody onto Medicare who is going to need help? Or is a public plan something further down the continuum?"
Hotline
President Obama hit a home run with his nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court -- and not just because she's the "woman who saved baseball" by ending the strike in 1995, nor simply because she would be the first Latina ever to serve on the high court. It was a home run because in her three-decade career as a prosecutor, judge, private litigator and law professor, she has time and again earned bipartisan praise as one of America's finest legal minds. And it was the right choice because Judge Sotomayor -- herself born and raised in a South Bronx housing project -- has summed up the American dream in her own incredible story and never once forgotten how the law affects our daily lives.
President Obama hit a home run with his nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court -- and not just because she's the "woman who saved baseball" by ending the strike in 1995, nor simply because she would be the first Latina ever to serve on the high court.
It was a home run because in her three-decade career as a prosecutor, judge, private litigator and law professor, she has time and again earned bipartisan praise as one of America's finest legal minds. And it was the right choice because Judge Sotomayor -- herself born and raised in a South Bronx housing project -- has summed up the American dream in her own incredible story and never once forgotten how the law affects our daily lives.
TPM
Here are Biden's comments on the Employee Free Choice Act. Does not sound like any backing down: So, folks, that's why there's no one thing we have to do. This is all going to be difficult, and one of the most difficult things will be to reinstitute that basic bargain. And I think the way to do that is the Employee Free Choice Act. (Applause.) Folks, let's get it straight -- we're not asking -- we're not asking for anything we don't deserve. And we're not asking for anything that wasn't intended when the NLRB said we should be encouraging -- encouraging -- unions. We just want to level this playing field again.
Here are Biden's comments on the Employee Free Choice Act. Does not sound like any backing down:
So, folks, that's why there's no one thing we have to do. This is all going to be difficult, and one of the most difficult things will be to reinstitute that basic bargain. And I think the way to do that is the Employee Free Choice Act. (Applause.)
Folks, let's get it straight -- we're not asking -- we're not asking for anything we don't deserve. And we're not asking for anything that wasn't intended when the NLRB said we should be encouraging -- encouraging -- unions. We just want to level this playing field again.
Chicago Tribune
"I don't think he is out of line, but he is dead wrong. ... The last administration left us in a weaker posture than we've been any time since World War II: less regarded in the world, stretched more thinly than we ever have been in the past, two wars under way, virtually no respect in entire parts of the world," Biden said. "And so we've been about the business of repairing and strengthening those. I guarantee you we are safer today, our interests are more secure today than they were any time during the eight years" of the Bush administration.
"It's time to be patriotic."
[Real Clear Politics]
Washington Times
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said Tuesday that 70 percent of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan are essentially mercenaries who possibly could be negotiated with instead of fought, and said the United States likely will try this approach.
NY Times (video - starts 8:50 in)
Legitimate to have some portions of the bill "Buy American."
Article
"The idea that they're essentially snuck back into the country under the cover of night so that no one can see that their casket has arrived I just think is wrong," Sen. Biden said.
NY Daily News
But, said Biden, “I think Leon Panetta is totally qualified for this job.” “He has been a consumer of intelligence for a long time. He was chief of staff [in the White House],” Biden said. “I think he’ll be as good as any [CIA director] we ever had.”
But, said Biden, “I think Leon Panetta is totally qualified for this job.”
“He has been a consumer of intelligence for a long time. He was chief of staff [in the White House],” Biden said. “I think he’ll be as good as any [CIA director] we ever had.”
From democrats.senate.gov:
Dear Governor Blagojevich: We write to insist that you step down as Governor of Illinois and under no circumstance make an appointment to fill the vacant Illinois Senate seat. In light of your arrest yesterday on alleged federal corruption charges related to that Senate seat, any appointment by you would raise serious questions. It is within the authority of the Illinois legislature to remove your power to make this appointment by providing for a special election. But a decision by you to resign or to step aside under Article V of the Illinois Constitution would be the most expeditious way for a new Senator to be chosen and seated in a manner that would earn the confidence of the people of Illinois and all Americans. We consider it imperative that a new senator be seated as soon as possible so that Illinois is fully represented in the Senate as the important work of the 111th Congress moves forward. Please understand that should you decide to ignore the request of the Senate Democratic Caucus and make an appointment we would be forced to exercise our Constitutional authority under Article I, Section 5, to determine whether such a person should be seated. We do not prejudge the outcome of the criminal charges against you or question your constitutional right to contest those charges. But for the good of the Senate and our nation, we implore you to refrain from making an appointment to the Senate. Sincerely, Sen. Reid Sen. Durbin Sen. Schumer Sen. Murray Sen. Akaka Sen. Baucus Sen. Bayh Sen. Biden Sen. Bingaman Sen. Boxer
CNN
KING: Getting bin Laden, top priority? BIDEN: Top priority. Top priority, in the sense that we know, figuratively speaking -- not figuratively. We know where bin Laden and al Qaeda are living. They are living in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan, most probably in an area called the FATA, the Federally Administered Territory of Pakistan. And so part of the reason why we have to get the relationship correct with Pakistan, as well as make things -- put Afghanistan on a better glide path, is because without doing those two things it makes it incredibly more difficult to deal with acquiring the targets and acquiring the personnel who are al Qaeda and particularly bin Laden.
KING: Getting bin Laden, top priority?
BIDEN: Top priority. Top priority, in the sense that we know, figuratively speaking -- not figuratively. We know where bin Laden and al Qaeda are living. They are living in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan, most probably in an area called the FATA, the Federally Administered Territory of Pakistan. And so part of the reason why we have to get the relationship correct with Pakistan, as well as make things -- put Afghanistan on a better glide path, is because without doing those two things it makes it incredibly more difficult to deal with acquiring the targets and acquiring the personnel who are al Qaeda and particularly bin Laden.
Biden: Well, I have to admit to you I'm a big Caroline Kennedy fan. I -- I think she is a wonderful person. And -- but literally, Larry, I -- for me to suggest to the governor of the state who he should pick is just -- it's beyond my purview. And here's the deal. You know, when people talk about the Kennedy dynasty or whatever, whoever gets picked in New York state is going to have to stand before the people of New York in the next 20 months or so, or less -- yes, I mean, yes, that's about right, 20, 21 months. And so, you know, that will be the ultimate test. And ... personally, I feel a great affection to -- for Caroline Kennedy.
Biden: Well, I have to admit to you I'm a big Caroline Kennedy fan. I -- I think she is a wonderful person. And -- but literally, Larry, I -- for me to suggest to the governor of the state who he should pick is just -- it's beyond my purview.
And here's the deal. You know, when people talk about the Kennedy dynasty or whatever, whoever gets picked in New York state is going to have to stand before the people of New York in the next 20 months or so, or less -- yes, I mean, yes, that's about right, 20, 21 months.
And so, you know, that will be the ultimate test. And ... personally, I feel a great affection to -- for Caroline Kennedy.
From Biden's website:
Knowing there are many more workers who cannot afford unpaid leave, he is co-sponsoring the Healthy Families Act, which would require employers with 15 or more workers to provide seven paid sick days to care for their own or their families’ medical needs.
He co-sponsored the so-called DREAM Act, the effect of which would be to allow states to admit undocumented immigrants at the in-state tuition rate. The default position is cleverly achieved by defining a "conditional permanent resident status" to qualify the children as "legal" so long as they meet certain criteria.
Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2007 or the DREAM Act of 2007 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence. Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional permanent resident status, an alien who: (1) entered the United States before his or her sixteenth birthday, and has been present in the United States for at least five years immediately preceding enactment of this Act; (2) is a person of good moral character; (3) is not inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds of the Immigration and Nationality Act; (4) at the time of application, has been admitted to an institution of higher education, or has earned a high school or equivalent diploma; and (5) from the age of 16 and older, has never been under a final order of exclusion, deportation, or removal.
Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2007 or the DREAM Act of 2007 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to repeal the denial of an unlawful alien's eligibility for higher education benefits based on state residence unless a U.S. national is similarly eligible without regard to such state residence.
Cosponsors [as of 2008-07-06]
Sen. Joseph Biden [D-DE]
Sydney Morning Herald
Senator Biden called it the "most talented national security team ever assembled".
NYTImes
To poach some rhetoric from Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., such a pursuit ''looks un-American.'' Last week at a Senate hearing, Biden, a Democrat from Delaware, used those words to describe how the B.C.S. decides which college team receives a shot at the national championship. He did not know that the system relies on a television contract with ABC that is cut by commissioners of six major conferences composed predominantly of state universities and is worth $900 million over eight years. ... Because as Biden intoned last week, the B.C.S. system ''looks like a rigged deal.''
To poach some rhetoric from Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., such a pursuit ''looks un-American.'' Last week at a Senate hearing, Biden, a Democrat from Delaware, used those words to describe how the B.C.S. decides which college team receives a shot at the national championship. He did not know that the system relies on a television contract with ABC that is cut by commissioners of six major conferences composed predominantly of state universities and is worth $900 million over eight years.
...
Because as Biden intoned last week, the B.C.S. system ''looks like a rigged deal.''
NY Times
Mr. Obama’s aides say Mr. Biden has backed the decision to appoint Mrs. Clinton secretary of state. “If he had made an argument against it, it would have carried a lot of weight,” a senior aide to the transition said. “He was totally in support of it.”
GovTrack
Connecticut Aye CT Dodd, Christopher [D] Aye CT Lieberman, Joseph [I] Delaware Aye DE Biden, Joseph [D] Aye DE Carper, Thomas [D] Florida Aye FL Martinez, Mel [R] Nay FL Nelson, Bill [D]
.....
From the bill: (a) Federal Deposit Insurance Act; Temporary Increase in Deposit Insurance- (1) INCREASED AMOUNT- Effective only during the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending on December 31, 2009, section 11(a)(1)(E) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1821(a)(1)(E)) shall apply with ‘$250,000’ substituted for ‘$100,000’.
From the bill:
(a) Federal Deposit Insurance Act; Temporary Increase in Deposit Insurance-
(1) INCREASED AMOUNT- Effective only during the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending on December 31, 2009, section 11(a)(1)(E) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1821(a)(1)(E)) shall apply with ‘$250,000’ substituted for ‘$100,000’.
TPM:
Biden in an interview with Josh Marshall talking about the neocons...
B: Exactly, that's the same thing, you've probably read these guys as well. And they're pretty smart guys. These are not a bunch of Christian Coalition guys. These are serious, serious people. These are patriotic Americans. These are guys who really truly aren't looking to get Halliburton contracts -- that's an ancillary benefit. These guys really think -- Paul Wolfowitz is an idealist. He really thinks you can impose democracy. We all agree democracy -- if the world, if all the Middle East was a democratic institution, then in fact we and our interests are greatly enhanced because democracies tend not to go to war with democracies. But that's a far cry from being able to impose it.
The Kerry administration will understand, in my view -- I know this from a long time, I know John well. There is a need for you to work very hard to establish the soil under which the seeds of liberal democratic institutions can take root. That means public diplomacy
AP:
A Roman Catholic, Biden said he accepts his church's teachings that life begins at conception, but that the issue is personal for him. He said it wouldn't be right to impose his views on others who are just as religious as he is. "I'm prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception. But that is my judgment," Biden said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "For me to impose that judgment on everyone else who is equally and maybe even more devout than I am seems to me is inappropriate in a pluralistic society."
A Roman Catholic, Biden said he accepts his church's teachings that life begins at conception, but that the issue is personal for him. He said it wouldn't be right to impose his views on others who are just as religious as he is.
"I'm prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at the moment of conception. But that is my judgment," Biden said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "For me to impose that judgment on everyone else who is equally and maybe even more devout than I am seems to me is inappropriate in a pluralistic society."
Rediff
Senator Joseph Biden, the ranking Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was the driving force behind the Senate's overwhelming adoption on November 16 -- by a margin of 85 for to 12 against -- of the enabling legislation (S. 3709) to facilitate the US-India civilian nuclear agreement he co-authored with the Committee's Republican chairman, Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana.
The link includes an interview detailing everything Biden did to get the bill passed
CNN:
Biden squarely blamed the economic mess on President Bush's economic policies backed by McCain, including the failure to properly regulate Wall Street, which he said resulted in fewer jobs, increased foreign debt and skyrocketing oil prices. Biden, like McCain, called for stronger government regulation of Wall Street. "Bottom line is if you come to the federal government to borrow money, we get to look at your books," he said. "That's my money. It's the taxpayers' money." Biden further blamed Bush and McCain for the "god-awful economic mess at home and abroad." Referring to assertions by McCain that the U.S. economy was fundamentally strong, Biden said the economy was "sound if you're very wealthy." "It's a disaster if you're a hard-working middle-class family who goes from paycheck to paycheck and worries about paying your mortgage," he said.
Biden squarely blamed the economic mess on President Bush's economic policies backed by McCain, including the failure to properly regulate Wall Street, which he said resulted in fewer jobs, increased foreign debt and skyrocketing oil prices.
Biden, like McCain, called for stronger government regulation of Wall Street. "Bottom line is if you come to the federal government to borrow money, we get to look at your books," he said. "That's my money. It's the taxpayers' money."
Biden further blamed Bush and McCain for the "god-awful economic mess at home and abroad." Referring to assertions by McCain that the U.S. economy was fundamentally strong, Biden said the economy was "sound if you're very wealthy."
"It's a disaster if you're a hard-working middle-class family who goes from paycheck to paycheck and worries about paying your mortgage," he said.
S.RES.439
Title: A resolution expressing the strong support of the Senate for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to enter into a Membership Action Plan with Georgia and Ukraine. Co-Sponsors:
Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [DE] - 1/31/2008 Sen Chambliss, Saxby [GA] - 2/14/2008 Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] - 2/27/2008 Sen DeMint, Jim [SC] - 2/13/2008 Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC] - 2/12/2008 Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] - 2/11/2008 Sen McCain, John [AZ] - 2/14/2008 Sen Obama, Barack [IL] - 2/8/2008 Sen Voinovich, George V. [OH] - 2/4/2008
Senator Biden believes that if we need a strategic surge anywhere, it’s in Afghanistan—the central front in our war against Al Qaeda. The surge we need would not involve a great number of troops, but would require the right blend of military, diplomatic, intelligence and financial resources. Senator Biden believes that the misguided and mismanaged war in Iraq has drawn precious assets away from the vitally-important war in Afghanistan, and thereby made all Americans less safe.
Political Radar:
"Wasn't that the most incredible speech you've ever heard?" Biden asked. "Mark my words, mark my words, when this convention is over, and three or four years from now they're commenting on why the Democrats won, they're gonna go back and point to the single most significant event that occurred at the Democratic Convention was Michelle Obama. Not Barack Obama, not Joe Biden, not Ted Kennedy, but Michelle Obama's speech. She gave a window to the American people into who she is and what she is and what really goes through her brain. And it was absolutely just incredible and I promise you, it's real." Immediately following the speech last night, Biden remarked, "I don't want to make a speech after that!" Then as he left the Pepsi Center, he said, "This woman is gonna be the finest First Lady this country has ever had. She is incredible."
"Wasn't that the most incredible speech you've ever heard?" Biden asked. "Mark my words, mark my words, when this convention is over, and three or four years from now they're commenting on why the Democrats won, they're gonna go back and point to the single most significant event that occurred at the Democratic Convention was Michelle Obama. Not Barack Obama, not Joe Biden, not Ted Kennedy, but Michelle Obama's speech. She gave a window to the American people into who she is and what she is and what really goes through her brain. And it was absolutely just incredible and I promise you, it's real."
Immediately following the speech last night, Biden remarked, "I don't want to make a speech after that!"
Then as he left the Pepsi Center, he said, "This woman is gonna be the finest First Lady this country has ever had. She is incredible."
From votesmart:
Speaker: Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. (DE) Title: Issue Position: Drugs Date: Issue Position Issue Position: Drugs Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is a leader in Congress on combating drug use and stemming the flow of drugs into our country. Each year illegal drug use and violence from drug trafficking costs our country billions of dollars and thousands of lives. Using the bully pulpit of the Drug Caucus, Senator Biden has chaired hearings, solicited expert testimony, authored legislation, and released reports on domestic and international narcotic trafficking. Senator Biden's comprehensive legislative solutions reflect his understanding that drugs in America are a multi-billion dollar international criminal enterprise, a major cause of crime and gang activity, and a tragic addiction that tears apart families and neighborhoods.
Speaker: Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. (DE) Title: Issue Position: Drugs Date: Issue Position
Issue Position: Drugs
Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is a leader in Congress on combating drug use and stemming the flow of drugs into our country. Each year illegal drug use and violence from drug trafficking costs our country billions of dollars and thousands of lives. Using the bully pulpit of the Drug Caucus, Senator Biden has chaired hearings, solicited expert testimony, authored legislation, and released reports on domestic and international narcotic trafficking. Senator Biden's comprehensive legislative solutions reflect his understanding that drugs in America are a multi-billion dollar international criminal enterprise, a major cause of crime and gang activity, and a tragic addiction that tears apart families and neighborhoods.
Finish Strong With College Access for All: The importance of a college degree has never been greater, yet over the next decade 2 million students will not attend college because of costs. Not wanting college to become a luxury good – unmanageable for middle-class families – in 2007, Senator Biden introduced his College ACCESS legislation. It would provide a $3,000 refundable tax credit – equivalent to a $12,000 deduction – that would: Fully cover the average tuition and fees at a public two-year college. Cover more than half the average tuition and fees at a public four-year college.
Finish Strong With College Access for All: The importance of a college degree has never been greater, yet over the next decade 2 million students will not attend college because of costs. Not wanting college to become a luxury good – unmanageable for middle-class families – in 2007, Senator Biden introduced his College ACCESS legislation. It would provide a $3,000 refundable tax credit – equivalent to a $12,000 deduction – that would:
Fully cover the average tuition and fees at a public two-year college. Cover more than half the average tuition and fees at a public four-year college.
Some text from the legislation:
Findings:
(12) The Government Accountability Office found that, as a result of the abstinence-until-marriage spending requirement, some countries have had to reduce planned funding for Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission programs, thereby limiting services for pregnant women and their children.
(13) The Government Accountability Office found that the abstinence-until-marriage spending requirement limited or reduced funding for programs directed to high-risk groups, such as services for married discordant couples, sexually active youth, and commercial sex workers.
(14) The Government Accountability Office found that the abstinence-until-marriage spending requirement made it difficult for countries to fund medical and blood safety activities.
(15) The Government Accountability Office found that, because of the abstinence-until-marriage spending requirement, some countries would likely have to reduce funding for condom procurement and condom social marketing.
SEC. 3. ENSURING BALANCED FUNDING FOR HIV PREVENTION METHODS.
(a) Sense of Congress on Abstinence-Until-Marriage Funding Requirement- Section 402(b)(3) of the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuburculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7672(b)(3)) is amended by striking `, of which such amount at least 33 percent should be expended for abstinence-until-marriage programs'.
(b) Elimination of Abstinence-Until-Marriage Funding Requirement- Section 403(a) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 7673(a)) is amended by striking the second sentence.
Biden's Senate Site:
First, the oil companies in this country now hold 7,000 leases to drill offshore, yet only 20 percent of those leases are producing oil. That is 68 million acres for which they already have the rights to drill. Nearly 80 percent of our offshore oil is already available for leasing -- approximately 54 billion barrels total. They could be drilling in these areas, but they are not. Assuming oil companies drilled in new areas, it would take at least a decade for new production to begin. Just last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration concluded new drilling would have no impact on oil prices before 2030. Prices would still be determined by the world market, which will be adding billions of new consumers from growing economies in China, India and other countries. OPEC countries control two-thirds of the world's oil reserves. If we add a bit more oil to the market, they can cut their own output to keep prices high. Moreover, the majority of the world's oil is in unstable regions. Prices surge when officials threaten to attack Iran or raids shut down production in Nigeria.
First, the oil companies in this country now hold 7,000 leases to drill offshore, yet only 20 percent of those leases are producing oil. That is 68 million acres for which they already have the rights to drill. Nearly 80 percent of our offshore oil is already available for leasing -- approximately 54 billion barrels total. They could be drilling in these areas, but they are not.
Assuming oil companies drilled in new areas, it would take at least a decade for new production to begin. Just last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration concluded new drilling would have no impact on oil prices before 2030.
Prices would still be determined by the world market, which will be adding billions of new consumers from growing economies in China, India and other countries.
OPEC countries control two-thirds of the world's oil reserves. If we add a bit more oil to the market, they can cut their own output to keep prices high.
Moreover, the majority of the world's oil is in unstable regions. Prices surge when officials threaten to attack Iran or raids shut down production in Nigeria.
Sounds like he believes it's a supply and demand problem and on top of that the price will surge whenever there's geopolitical tension.
Raw Story:
Roberts then cited an ABC/Washington Post poll which indicates that Americans think McCain has a better knowledge of world affairs by 63%-26% and that 72% think McCain would make a good commander-in-chief, while only 48% believe Obama would. Biden's response was that Obama is "leading John McCain on every area except the one where experience just intuitively suggests people think if you're experienced you must know more. But 20 years of experience that has not been very solid in terms of projecting what was going to happen doesn't make you a better commander-in-chief." "We don't need as a commander-in-chief a war hero," Biden emphasized. "John's a war hero. We need someone with some wisdom. ... President Bush's policy, which John McCain has embraced on Iraq and foreign policy generally, has been an abject failure."
Roberts then cited an ABC/Washington Post poll which indicates that Americans think McCain has a better knowledge of world affairs by 63%-26% and that 72% think McCain would make a good commander-in-chief, while only 48% believe Obama would.
Biden's response was that Obama is "leading John McCain on every area except the one where experience just intuitively suggests people think if you're experienced you must know more. But 20 years of experience that has not been very solid in terms of projecting what was going to happen doesn't make you a better commander-in-chief."
"We don't need as a commander-in-chief a war hero," Biden emphasized. "John's a war hero. We need someone with some wisdom. ... President Bush's policy, which John McCain has embraced on Iraq and foreign policy generally, has been an abject failure."
Council on Foreign Relations
Sen. Biden (D-DE), who was in the Senate at the passage of FISA in 1978, spoke out against Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program, which he called “unconstitutional” and an “illegal expansion of presidential power”
Yahoo News:
Biden, who chaired a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the new strategy, proposed that the central elements of the new plan include tripling non-security aid to 1.5 billion dollars annually over a 10-year period. "A significant increase in non-security aid, guaranteed for a long period, would help persuade the Pakistani populace that America is not a fair-weather friend but an all-weather friend; it would also help persuade Pakistan's leaders that America is a reliable ally," he said.
Biden, who chaired a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the new strategy, proposed that the central elements of the new plan include tripling non-security aid to 1.5 billion dollars annually over a 10-year period.
"A significant increase in non-security aid, guaranteed for a long period, would help persuade the Pakistani populace that America is not a fair-weather friend but an all-weather friend; it would also help persuade Pakistan's leaders that America is a reliable ally," he said.
U.S. Senate:
Measure Title: A resolution impeaching William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. Vote Counts Guilty 45 Not Guilty 55 Biden (D-DE), Not Guilty
Measure Title: A resolution impeaching William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Vote Counts Guilty 45 Not Guilty 55
Biden (D-DE), Not Guilty
S. 22: Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a program of educational assistance for members of the Armed Forces who serve in the Armed Forces after September 11, 2001, and for other purposes. Cosponsors [as of 2008-05-08] Sen. Joseph Biden [D-DE]
Cosponsors [as of 2008-05-08] Sen. Joseph Biden [D-DE]
Biden fires back about offshore drilling (2:20 in)...
Although it was technically just a vote to close debate, the issue was clearly framed, the national parties took strong opposing positions, and everyone understood that a yes vote, to proceed to consideration, was effectively a vote to approve the tax; and a vote against cloture (with a threatened filibuster) was effectively a vote against the tax.
Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S. 3044 ) Measure Number: S. 3044 (Consumer-First Energy Act of 2008 ) Measure Title: A bill to provide energy price relief and hold oil companies and other entities accountable for their actions with regard to high energy prices, and for other purposes. Biden (D-DE), Yea
Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S. 3044 )
Measure Number: S. 3044 (Consumer-First Energy Act of 2008 ) Measure Title: A bill to provide energy price relief and hold oil companies and other entities accountable for their actions with regard to high energy prices, and for other purposes. Biden (D-DE), Yea
He voted against the Space Station Termination amendment, which would have halted construction of the space station and allocated funds to other projects:
Space Station Termination Amendment Bill Number: S 2168 Official Title of Legislation: p> S AMDT 3062 to S 2168: To terminate the Space Station project and provide additional funding for veterans and low-income housing. Project Vote Smart's Synopsis: Vote to adopt an amendment terminating the International Space Station project and reallocating its funds as follows: $850 million to terminate the Space Station project, $1 billion to the Veterans Health Administration Medical Care account, and $450 million for the Housing Certificate Fund account.
Space Station Termination Amendment
Bill Number: S 2168 Official Title of Legislation: p>
S AMDT 3062 to S 2168: To terminate the Space Station project and provide additional funding for veterans and low-income housing.
Project Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to adopt an amendment terminating the International Space Station project and reallocating its funds as follows: $850 million to terminate the Space Station project, $1 billion to the Veterans Health Administration Medical Care account, and $450 million for the Housing Certificate Fund account.
DE Sr Senator Joseph R. Biden Democrat N
He co-sponsored the "Mail Delivery Protection Act":
Mail Delivery Protection Act of 2007 - Prohibits the U.S. Postal Service from contracting for the delivery of mail on any route with one or more families per mile. Allows existing contracts to remain in effect until terminated by their terms and to be renewed one or more times.
Sen. Thomas Harkin [D-IA] Cosponsors [as of 2008-05-04]
Sen. Max Baucus [D-MT] Sen. Joseph Biden [D-DE] Sen. Jeff Bingaman [D-NM] Sen. Barbara Boxer [D-CA] Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-OH] Sen. Maria Cantwell [D-WA] Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D-MD] Sen. Robert Casey [D-PA] Sen. Hillary Clinton [D-NY] Sen. Thad Cochran [R-MS] Sen. Kent Conrad [D-ND]
As explained by Harkin:
Outsourcing the mailman bypasses the process that ensures that only qualified people handle America's mail, leaving open the possibility that convicted felons, identity thieves, or other undesirable workers could have access to the mail stream. Furthermore, it limits the ability of the Postal Service to prevent, investigate, and prosecute mail theft, mail fraud, and other illegal uses of the mail.
Outsourcing the mailman bypasses the process that ensures that only qualified people handle America's mail, leaving open the possibility that convicted felons, identity thieves, or other undesirable workers could have access to the mail stream.
Furthermore, it limits the ability of the Postal Service to prevent, investigate, and prosecute mail theft, mail fraud, and other illegal uses of the mail.
The Swamp
Sen. Joe Biden, the Delaware Democrat who waged his own campaign for president, said this about Bush's comments: "This is malarkey... This is outrageous, outrageous, for the president of the United States, to go to a foreign country, sit in the Knesset... and make this kind of ridiculous statement.''
This was the vote that was so important that McCain, Obama, and Clinton all left the campaign trail to make sure they were there. Yet the amendment was defeated.
Senate Vote #75 (Mar 13, 2008)
On the Motion (Motion to Waive C.B.A. DeMint Amdt No. 4347 ) Senate Vote #75 --- Mar 13, 2008 Result: Motion Rejected Related Amendment: S.Amdt. 4347: To establish an earmark moratorium for fiscal year 2009., amending S. Con. Res. 70: Budget resolution FY2009. Nay: Biden, Joseph [D]
Related Amendment: S.Amdt. 4347: To establish an earmark moratorium for fiscal year 2009., amending S. Con. Res. 70: Budget resolution FY2009.
Nay: Biden, Joseph [D]
The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder writes:
Veepstakes Watch: Biden 09 Apr 2008 07:54 am He's the lead guest on the Today Show this morning....widely praised by the Democratic blogosphere for his prosecution yesterday....had a good sense of humor about the presidential atmospherics of the hearings..... [..] And later, he said that Hillary Clinton shouldn't get out. "As a former president said, we should chill out." No appreciative bump in his Intrade rating, though.
09 Apr 2008 07:54 am
He's the lead guest on the Today Show this morning....widely praised by the Democratic blogosphere for his prosecution yesterday....had a good sense of humor about the presidential atmospherics of the hearings.....
[..]
And later, he said that Hillary Clinton shouldn't get out. "As a former president said, we should chill out."
No appreciative bump in his Intrade rating, though.
S. 2136: Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act of 2007
A bill to address the treatment of primary mortgages in bankruptcy, and for other purposes. Cosponsors [as of 2008-03-08] Sen. Joseph Biden [D-DE] Sen. Barbara Boxer [D-CA] Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-OH] Sen. Hillary Clinton [D-NY] Sen. Christopher Dodd [D-CT] Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D-CA] Sen. Thomas Harkin [D-IA] Sen. John Kerry [D-MA] Sen. Robert Menéndez [D-NJ] Sen. Barack Obama [D-IL] Sen. John Reed [D-RI] Sen. Charles Schumer [D-NY] Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI] Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act of 2007 - Amends federal bankruptcy law to permit a bankruptcy plan to: (1) modify a loan secured by the principal residence (mortgage) of a chapter 13 debtor (individual with regular income); and (2) provide for payment of such loan at a fixed annual percentage rate of interest, over a 30-year period.
Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act of 2007 - Amends federal bankruptcy law to permit a bankruptcy plan to: (1) modify a loan secured by the principal residence (mortgage) of a chapter 13 debtor (individual with regular income); and (2) provide for payment of such loan at a fixed annual percentage rate of interest, over a 30-year period.
Iraq cannot be viewed in a vacuum. Disarming and stabilizing that country will be all the more difficult because of the unsettled regional environment, in particular the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While it is essential that the United States aggressively pursue Israeli-Palestinian peace on its own merits, doing so has ancillary benefits for the disarmament of Iraq. Simply put, we will make it easier for Arab governments to participate in, or at least support, our actions in Iraq if they can show their people we are engaged in the peace process. Meetings with Israeli officials and Palestinian reformers led us to believe new opportunities exist for American diplomacy. Recent polling shows that nearly three-quarters of Israelis and Palestinians seek reconciliation and a two-state solution. For the first time since the violence began, a majority of Palestinians support a crackdown against terrorism as part of a peace process. A large majority have no confidence in Yasser Arafat. The key is to empower Palestinian reformers and encourage Arab moderates. President Bush should lose no time in publicly endorsing the "road map" developed by the Quartet -- an informal group of mediators on the Middle East from the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia. The road map provides for a series of reciprocal steps to jump-start a renewed peace process. That would give hope to Palestinian reformers and send a clear message to the Arab world that the United States remains determined to pursue an Israeli-Palestinian settlement even as we deal with Iraq.
Iraq cannot be viewed in a vacuum. Disarming and stabilizing that country will be all the more difficult because of the unsettled regional environment, in particular the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While it is essential that the United States aggressively pursue Israeli-Palestinian peace on its own merits, doing so has ancillary benefits for the disarmament of Iraq. Simply put, we will make it easier for Arab governments to participate in, or at least support, our actions in Iraq if they can show their people we are engaged in the peace process.
Meetings with Israeli officials and Palestinian reformers led us to believe new opportunities exist for American diplomacy. Recent polling shows that nearly three-quarters of Israelis and Palestinians seek reconciliation and a two-state solution. For the first time since the violence began, a majority of Palestinians support a crackdown against terrorism as part of a peace process. A large majority have no confidence in Yasser Arafat.
The key is to empower Palestinian reformers and encourage Arab moderates. President Bush should lose no time in publicly endorsing the "road map" developed by the Quartet -- an informal group of mediators on the Middle East from the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia. The road map provides for a series of reciprocal steps to jump-start a renewed peace process. That would give hope to Palestinian reformers and send a clear message to the Arab world that the United States remains determined to pursue an Israeli-Palestinian settlement even as we deal with Iraq.
From Biden's Website:
Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement after the official announcement that Cuban President Fidel Castro is stepping down: "With Castro's resignation, Cuba's darkest days could finally be coming to an end, opening up a new age of possibility for the Cuban people and Cuban-American relations. But a possibility is not a guarantee. "Whether Raul Castro, or another, is named successor, we should not consider lifting the embargo until Cuba frees political prisoners, respects human rights and allows independent civil organizations. However, we should not sit back and wait for the successor to act; there are steps we should take now to support the Cuban people and to start to put in place a strong foundation for freedom and free enterprise. "First, we should allow increased travel of Cuban Americans to the island for family or humanitarian visits. Second, we should expand family remittances from Cuban Americans to include extended family. Third, we should allow U.S.-based companies and non-profits to send remittances to Cubans to support small business, and we should establish an Enterprise Fund, like the ones we set up after the end of communism in Eastern Europe, to jump start small and medium-sized private enterprise. Finally, we must establish direct mail service to Cuba. "The Cuban-American community has a lead role to play in these efforts. Together, we can build the kind of bright future Cuba's people deserve after decades in the dark."
S. Res. 135: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should support independence for Kosovo
Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I-CT] Cosponsors [as of 2008-01-28] Sen. Joseph Biden [D-DE] Sen. John McCain [R-AZ] Sen. Gordon Smith [R-OR]
Description of the Bill:
Members of Congress and the public have been increasingly concerned about the ability of the FDA to ensure that drugs sold in the United States are safe and effective. S. 1082 would strengthen the FDA’s ability to make sure that drug manufacturers appropriately design and conduct post-market studies, and disclose the results to the public. The bill would achieve this by establishing a system of routine active surveillance for post-market drug safety.
And the vote
From the Council on Foreign Relations Website:
Biden, who sits on the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, has said the Department of Homeland Security has inadequately responded to the country’s security challenges. If elected president, he says he would create a Homeland Security and Public Safety Trust Fund “to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations and invest in law enforcement."
Sen. Biden (D-DE) has called the United Nations “an essential forum for the advancement of U.S. foreign policy and national security interests.” At a speech on the sixtieth anniversary of the Unitd Nations in 2005, Biden praised reform efforts, including the establishment of the Human Rights Council to replace the Human Rights Commission, a change which he said would “more effectively advance the rights and freedoms that continue to be denied to far too many.” He also praised the creation of the Peacebuilding Commission, aimed at bolstering fragile states.