This is a television commercial Joe Biden put out during his 1988 bid for the presidency. Almost all these words could be spoken by Obama today. So much for change...what's different? What's not different is that Biden, then as now, believes that the White house is not the place to gain foreign policy experience as he in enabling his running mate to do today.
What is most striking is the line about "put[ting] courage over compromise" in a line of thought expressing how America ought to be prepared even for war when defending against "repression, brutality, violence, [and] the abuse of human dignity around the world." Courage over compromise, huh? Those are brave words. Imagine telling people the opposite, like telling them that "if they make compromises they can make things better." We don't have to imagine these words being spoken...Biden did it earlier today when he accepted Obama's invitation to join the Democratic ticket. That's the power of change--the power to prioritize compromise over courage.
This is the transcript of the commercial:
The White House isn't the place to learn how to deal with international crisis, the balance of power, war and peace, and the economic future of the next generation. A president has got to know the territory. Joe Biden sees the presidency as a pulpit from which America sets an example for the world. He believes that developing nations once saw America as more than a place. They saw us as an idea, a goal to reach for. He knows they lost confidence in us, that he they see us losing our way, our resolve, our ideals. Joe Biden thinks it's time to remind the world of what America stands for: freedom, equality, justice, opportunity. He thinks it's time to put courage over compromise. Time to express America's outrage once again towards repression, brutality, violence, the abuse of human dignity around the world. If the sparks fly, so be it.
