Joe Biden does it again! The Vice President held a speech at Harvard this Thursday. A few remarks he made got him in hot water. As the vice president of the student body presented himself and his function, Biden said “ain’t that a bitch”? He quickly excused himself and said it was a joke. The media went in a frenzy covering this story, Biden’s blunders becoming a favorite of the news pundits in the past 6 years. The most severe consequences came from another item he discussed though. The Vice President said in his speech to the Institute of Political Science that “Our biggest problem is our allies”. He mentioned the “Turks […], the Saudis, the Emirates, etc”. He added “They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of tons of weapons into any one who would fight against Assad”. He went on to mention that the funds went to al Nusra, and al Qaeda and other extremist factions.
Turkey’s President, Recep Erdogan responded publicly to the accusation. He said “We have never provided help and support for any terrorist organisation”. He then added that “If Biden has used such expressions he will be history for me”. Erdogan’s reply is disturbing considering Biden called him a friend in his speech. Although the VP has done so just before accusing Erdogan of sustaining the extremist movement in the middle east. It seems Biden is quick to forget he no longer speaks to a limited audience. When you’re the second in command to the most influential man on earth, you no longer have privacy. After 6 years Biden didn’t grasp the fact that everything he says will be scrutinized.
What Joe Biden said is in fact true, the manner in which he presented it made it a catastrophic faux-pas. This weekend Biden called the Turkish President to apologize. Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, the crown price of Abu Dhabi also received a call from the US VP. Biden apologizes often for his mistakes, but he has been particularly busy lately.
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White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest issued a public response in a conference. He said “I think the vice president is somebody who has enough character to admit when he’s made a mistake”. When Earnest was asked if the opinion of the White House is that UAE did not sponsor extremist groups, he stumbled in his words, motivating that the VP did not want to imply that in his speech. Biden’s job may be, as he puts it, “a bitch”, but it sure isn’t as tough as Secretary Josh Earnest’s, who has to publicly defend his blunders.