Was Biden Right About the World Testing Obama?

Then-Sen. Biden was sure the world would test Obama due to his lack of experience. Has it?

By U.S. News Staff

July 6, 2009 RSS Feed Print

"Mark my words," said then-Sen. Joseph Biden in October of last year. "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy." Given the tensions Obama faces in North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and elsewhere, was Biden right? Is the world testing Obama? Or is this just a way of making others' problems about us? Post your thoughts.

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He definitely was right about Obama being tested within six monmths of his inauguration. North Korea is testing him and so is Iran's Ahmedinejad. North Korea is a very tricky situation in which he has to have the cooperationm of China to thwart the ambition of the North to flex its power. He seems to have the cooperation of Russia, not only with its censure of the North, but also its agreement to zero out nukes worldwide. If this U.S.Russia cooperation succeeds, then the North's wanting to go nuclear becomes a moot question, and so does the situation with Ahmedinejad. He's also being tested in Afghanistan and Pakistan against the Taliban and Al Queda, and so far, Obama is doing very well with his foreign policy initiatives. All he needs to do is convene a conference on peace in the Middle East with Saudi Arabia, Syria, as well as Egypt and Jordan on establishing peace between Israelis and Palestinians, with a two state solution and relationships established beteen all Arab states and Israel. Saudi Arabia and Syria are key.

Jack Golding of KS 3:50PM July 06, 2009

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