It’s called ‘the interview’

Republicans are all abuzz with this pronouncement from the Democratic vice-presidential candidate.

“It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking…. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy….

“I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate… And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you – not financially to help him – we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.”

Conservatives are triumphantly citing this as Joe Biden admitting Obama’s weakness on the foreign policy/national defense front. And indeed the language is not that of a loyal subordinate supporting his leader, but of a compassionate friend soliciting help to get a buddy through a bad time.

It also seems like an implicit admission that Obama’s opponents are right about how to confront hostile powers, and his own supporters are clueless.

Look again, “…we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.”

Democrats must be pounding their heads with frustration at good old Joe “gaff-a-minute” Biden sticking his foot in it again. If Obama loses this election at the last minute, I shouldn’t like to be in Biden’s shoes, his own party is going to crucify him.

Though I’m not an admirer of his, I suggest Biden has an important point we should pay attention to.

The implicit assumption made by proponents of what’s called a “hard-line” or “realistic” foreign policy is, that the behavior of thug nations resembles the behavior of thug individuals.

Contrariwise, the assumption of those holding the view that overflowing goodwill will assure peace among nations is, almost everyone is at bottom as decent as the people they know.

That last assumption seems impossibly naïve to anyone who’s spent any time at all on the wrong side of the tracks, but people who hold it can’t really be blamed. It is after all what your mother always told you, “Be nice to them and they’ll be nice to you.”

I’m sorry, but your mother lied.

Assaults seldom come without warning, there is an identifiable five-stage process, well-documented by violence professionals. The five stages in order are: intent, interview, positioning, attack and reaction.

When thugs, and by extension thug nations, are looking to assault someone for whatever reason, profit, pleasure or to gain the respect of their fellow-thugs, the second stage is always the interview.

The interview can last from seconds to years, but the sole interview question is, “Can I get away with this?”

What Biden did was to call attention to the fact that there is no lack of intent around the world, and the interview is coming.

I think he’s notifying the anti-war Democratic base there will be a point at which Obama has to show the world he’s ready and able to take a hard line, if there is to be any hope of a reasonably tranquil administration.

It had to be said. It’s possible Biden said it too soon, but as he pointed out, there won’t be a lot of time after the election.

What he didn’t point out was, the interview is already underway.

A squadron from the Russian navy’s North Sea Fleet set sail on Sept. 22 bound for a maritime exercise with the Venezuelan navy.

Monroe Doctrine anyone?