VIRGINIA BEACH
Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden refused Thursday to criticize his Republican counterpart, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin, a day after her broadside on Democrats at the Republican National Convention.
Biden, in Virginia Beach to speak to veterans about military issues, said Palin delivered a strong speech on Wednesday night and would be “an incredibly competent debater” in the fall campaign.
But he criticized Republicans for neglecting military readiness and veterans’ care. “Experience only matters when coupled with good judgment,” Biden told an audience of about 500 supporters at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
One woman in the Virginia Beach audience pleaded with Biden to go after Palin the same way she attacked the Democrats. The request elicited cheers and a standing ovation, but Biden didn’t take the bait.
He said the two will have spirited debates on the issues, but he will not indulge in personal attacks.
Biden spoke on a wide range of issues, emphasizing military readiness, foreign policy, and care for veterans. He was accompanied onstage by six veterans from the Navy and National Guard.
Active duty and reserve troops and their families, hit with multiple deployments, have felt the brunt of the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan much more than their civilian counterparts, he said. “America’s not at war,” he said. “The military’s at war.”
Biden called for better treatment for psychological and physical injuries. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama supports allowing all veterans back into the VA, hiring more claims workers to handle cases, and expand treatment and counseling services.
The care of veterans, Biden said, is the only sacred obligation of the U.S. government.
Biden also answered questions ranging from drug policy to health care to the economy from the partisan crowd during the rally. Biden said he supports the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for gays in the military.
He attacked the GOP for, he said, trying to leave government with no more responsibilities than to collect taxes and keep a military. “Everything they’ve done has been to turn the social contract upside down,” he said.
Biden has represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate since 1972, and chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
State Republican leaders on Thursday said they expect presidential nominee John McCain to do well with veteran voters. They struck back at Biden for not embracing off-shore drilling to ease high fuel prices.
“We welcome Sen. Biden to Virginia,” said former Republican Sen. George Allen. “We do not welcome his do-nothing policies.”
Carolyn Curtis, a 36-year-old Navy wife from Norfolk in Biden’s audience, said she was very impressed with Biden’s delivery and knowledge of the issues.
She and her husband, an F-18 aircraft mechanic at Oceana Naval Air Station, were once strong supporters of Republican candidate John McCain. The couple even has a framed picture in their bedroom of McCain presenting her husband with a Navy award, she said.
But Curtis feels McCain has strayed too far from his maverick, independent image and into partisan politics.
She said she didn’t hear that from Biden, adding, “that’s where we need to be.”
Pilot writer Warren Fiske contributed to this report.
Louis Hansen, (757) 446-2322, louis.hansen@pilotonline.com
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top 5% and their taxes
And if the other 95% made more money, they could also pay more taxes. Somehow, we seem to forget that the reason productivity has increased over the last decades is due to the hard work of the men and women who are actually producing the goods and services. If they made more, they would spend more and our economy would benefit. Henry Ford, who dared pay his workers about double the prevailing wage of his time, had the theory that people should be able to afford the goods they are making. Instead we are firing people, rehiring them at 1/2 the wage and they have to buy Chinese goods at WalMart. Good economic theory there, eh? How does this play with government...don't let the people in power let the corporations run rampant over the shareholders and at the same time crush labor unions.
POG
Since the total share of taxes collected from the top 5% INCREASED under the Bush tax cuts, what "tax subsidies" are you talking about?
Pathfinder
You misread me. Everyone is so used to sarcasm around here that when someone says a straight line, it is assumed to be sarcastic. I am sure that Todd Palin is a fine stay-at-home daddy and, as I said, the little boy has a mom still pumping breast milk for him and a daddy to cuddle with all day long--he will turn out just fine. By the way, for what it is worth, I put "sarcasm warning" on my posts when I have a sarcastic part. Otherwise, I am a straight shooter and say it the way I mean it. Cheers, MGM
Nasty Little People
The current Bush/Cheney tax plan (which McCain supports and will continue) created tax subsidies for the wealthiest 5% of Americans. Is that you? Not if you read the Va Pilot.
We still have to figure out a way to pay for the $10 billion we blow every month in Iraq, and it is a ever increasing historically huge defficet. It is the largest tax increase in our history delivered to us by the Republican President with his Republican controlled Congress.
To keep it simple for those of you who need it to be; with Obama 95% of us get a tax decrease - with McCain we get 95% of the same, along with tax subsides for 5% of the wealthiest of Americans.
It's un-patriotic to blindly follow failed leaders and their failed policies that make our country less safe and less effective.
substance? what substance?
"It's sad that you are more concerned w/ public image and TV commercials than substance."
What substance are you talking about? I haven't heard any substance coming from McCain or Palin, all I've heard his hype and bull.
vamom
I understand why you are so upset at McCain for not supporting the bills you mentioned in your letter. However, a little research would show you why. Just in the last bill you mentioned you can see that the Democrats attached a lot of riders to the bill that had nothing to do with spirit of the bill they were trying to pass. "But Democrats also attached language that would start troop withdrawals within 120 days of passage, with a March 31, 2008, goal for completing the process" Washington Post.com, "The bill addresses many unrelated issues. It offers funds for disaster relief and recovery stemming from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, funds influenza pandemic response programs, offers disaster assistance for livestock and crops, and makes appropriations to bolster Medicare and Medicaid.
Lastly, among many other things, it provides funds to assist Liberia, Jordan and Lebanon. Those are the reasons he did not support it. Blame the dems. Not McCain. This happened on the other ones too. I assure you.
Don't lecture me
McCain / Palin thanked me for working hard, Obama / Biden chastised me. I'm so tired of being lectured at by the Democrats that working hard and being successful is somehow a crime. Utter Liberal nonsense. In the Democrats' wealth distribution scheme more will suffer than gain. That does qualify as change.
McCain Was No Friend Of The Military
FYI
McCAIN REPEATEDLY VOTED AGAINST
IMPROVED BENEFITS FOR VETERANS
McCain Opposes the 21st Century GI Bill
Because It Is Too Generous. McCain did not
vote on the GI Bill that will provide better educational
opportunities to veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars,
paying full tuition at in-state schools and living expenses
for those who have served at least three years since the
9/11 attacks. McCain said he opposes the bill because he
thinks the generous benefits would “encourage more people
to leave the military.” (S.Amdt. 4803 to H.R. 2642, Vote 137,
5/22/08; Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/2/2008; Boston Globe, 5/23/08;
ABCNews.com, 5/26/08)
McCain Voted Against Increased Funding
for Veterans’ Health Care. Although McCain
told voters at a campaign rally that improving veterans’
health care was his top domestic priority, he voted against
increasing funding for veterans’ health care in 2004, 2005,
2006 and 2007. (Greenville News, 12/12/2007; S.Amdt. 2745 to
S.C.R. 95, Vote 40, 3/10/04; Senate S.C.R. 18, Vote 55, 3/16/05; S.Amdt.
3007 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 41, 3/14/06; H.R. 1591, Vote 126, 3/29/07)
Opposed an Assured Funding Stream for
Veterans’
Thanks cs!
The additional 0000's were blinding and I was in a state of denial just dealing with the thought of the 1.5 Billion!
American Idol
"I thought McCain was going to run a clean campaign. Guess he forgot to tell Palin and the Karl Rove TV ads. What's one more lie from the GOP?"
Whether it is a lie or not is easily debatable but let's assume it is what you say it is. It's sad that you are more concerned w/ public image and TV commercials than substance. Some of you seem to be wrapped up in frivolities when your own candidate has lied about his own platfrorm. Well, it's hard to tell if it is a lie. It seems he just changed his mind after he educated himself. Most changes came after the nomination. I wonder what will "change" if he is elected. The partisans on this board have become what they despise.
chisald, your fears have already become reality.
Chrisald, do you mean the same type of censorship that the libs want to force down our throats through the Fairness Doctrine? Are you talking about the same “brainwashing and mind control” as already established by the libs called Politically Correct and Hate Speech Legislation? Perhaps you might be referring to the liberal state-sponsored religion of Abortion. Seems to me that all those things you fear are actually coming out of the extreme liberal left crowd. Perhaps you don’t admire or desire things that are decent and have a certain standard of appropriateness and civility, but some people (like me and my family) do want to enjoy civility without complete wanton and shameful behavior. Perhaps we value human life more than just viewing it as “unviable tissue mass”.
chrisald if Palin doesn't work then neither does obama
So you'd rather have in office a man who has had some 20yrs of indoctrination along the lines of "God d@*% America?" You think he's worth voting for because "At least the Obama message carries some sense of hope and a positive feel." So issues mean nothing to you and you want to apply the religious litmus test. Obama is a socialist, if you don't know what that means look it up. Socialism is very bad for America and goes totally against what our founding fathers had in mind for this nation and it's government.
I don't like palin and McCain because
She is against sex education, bans Library books, is against Rove v Wade, and I still say she is exploiting her daughter. McCain is a hothead, will keep us in a war forever, will continue the same Bush politics where the rich continue to get tich and the poor will get poorer. Will continue to export jobs, will do nothing for our desperatedly needed Health Care, and will not take care of our Vets the way he claims he will. Just a few reasons why I won't vote for McCain/Palin, and I can't vote for the same this country has seen for the last 8 years, we simply cannot afford it.
marym63204 that is just plain sexest!!!!
Why don't you critize Obama that if he is eleceted he won't be there for his kids??????? You liberals are something else!!!! The Democrat party IS the party of hate! Your don't see Republicans going after Obama's kids or critize him being away from HIS kids so much do you????? Get a life!
SO MUCH FUN
to sit back and listen to the Whinning of the Liberals about Sarah Palin, This is one remarkable lady who just in her acceptance speech has the Defeatist I mean Democrats already admitting defeat again.
Hamptonroads Feels Pain Too
Im looking for change. Hamptonroads lost a big employer because of high fuel....ie Ford Plant. So many forsale and foreclosed homes.....ie look in today's paper. Did we just loose our BUD to an overseas Co.....no more themeparks for the kids.
As for Commander Chief.... USA is ready regadless. Obama/Biden will have the same men and women at the Defense dept, the same men and women at the FBI, CIA, NSA, Home Land Security, and any other major entity that protects USA soil and interest. Those men and woman wont lose there jobs because of a new Pres. Some new heads of the departments maybe. But the rank and file will still be in the fight for USA.
Change
No more eight years VA!!!
Obama
When had Obama been for the military ? Obama would be the worst president since Jimmy Carter. If this country is dumb enough to elect a token president they will find out that many of us was right when we said Obama will tell you anything to get elected.
Biden's Visit to VB
Biden said: "Active duty and reserve troops and their families, hit with multiple deployments." Geez, could this be because his buddy Slick Willy cut our fleet in half during his tenure in the White House? We're now expected to do more with less and he's blaming the Republicans for this?
How do you like Palin?
Do you like Palin for her single handed effort to kill off wild animals?
Not hunting mind you, but slaughtering animals by shooting at them from planes and helicopters? Think this absurd, here's the video. Well documented fact which was addressed long before she was a VP nominee.
http://actionfund.defenders.org/palinvideo
brklynbill
Word is that Sarah Palin's *husband* is giving up his job for her political career. So don't worry about the little boy--he will continue to sleep contentedly against Daddy's chest when Mommy is at the office or giving speeches. Cheers, MGM, who thinks having two involved parents is marvy, except that only one can pump milk for the little guy!