Biden: Restoring Worldview of U.S. Is Next President's "Biggest Responsibility"

By: Ryan Corsaro
Topics: Joe Biden

(CBS)

From CBS News' Ryan Corsaro:

(WOOSTER, OHIO) - Joe Biden called out for the next president of the United States to seize upon the opportunity to re-establish America's standing as a respected and trusted world leader, saying it would be "the single biggest responsibility."

In his speech before the College of Wooster crowd tonight in Ohio, Biden backed away slightly from the relentless hammering of Sen. John McCain's policies he has committed to in the past few days.

Instead, he changed his focus and tone to a soft and determined heed for voters to elect the leader who would restore trust in America as a role model for foreign nations. He, of course, assured it would be his running mate, Barack Obama.

He asked the nearly 5,000 people in attendance to imagine America as a country "where we lead by the power of our example and not by the example of our power."

Biden called the upcoming presidential election an inflection point – a point where the decision American voters make would "lock us in for a generation" towards a direction of their choosing.

He recalled a story he was told in his early days of the Senate, when President John F. Kennedy sent an envoy to the leader of France, Charles de Gaulle, to warn him of the danger posed in what would become known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

After listening to the president's message, Biden said that de Gaulle had waved the envoy's offer to view reconnaissance photos of the ships carrying missiles toward Cuba, telling the envoy that he needed only the word of the president of the United States.

Biden then posed the question, "Is there a single world leader who if Condi Rice, who is a good woman, if she sat across from that leader explaining the matter of war and peace that would raise his or her hand and say there's no need, I know the President of the United States and I trust him."

Biden said that while it would take time to restore such a reputation and standing, but that it was an essential task.

"The rest of the world understands, as much as they may resent it, that we are the only genuine catalyst for change. It's not American chauvinism. There is no other nation in the world that on its own can be the vehicle for the kind of change the world is yearning for," said Biden. "Ladies and gentlemen, the opportunity is immense...immense."

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by mattcat25 September 18, 2008 1:48 PM EDT: Are these idiots for real?! All this means is my accountant will adust my income to $249K and I will make the difference up in other ways.
Posted by john43218

Republicans that don''t want to pay taxes are UNAMERICAN!; Reply to this comment


by pastdue1 September 18, 2008 12:28 PM EDT: Posted by kight67i at 08:05 AM : Sep 18, 2008
visit: http://dailysource/palin; Reply to this comment


by bigsk8fan September 18, 2008 12:27 PM EDT: dubya has done much to lower the esteem of america throughout the world. attacking countries without any reason per the bush doctrine.; Reply to this comment


by pastdue1 September 18, 2008 12:26 PM EDT: Bush trashed out reputation in the world. And, does McCain, by appointing such a total light weight as Palin, think he did our reputation any good. On the aside, if you watched the Japanese who designed Palin''s glasses, you saw him give Americans some advice by saying he hoped we did not elect anyone on the basis of the glasses. Clearly, he gave his impression of what American influence has become.; Reply to this comment


by kight67i September 18, 2008 11:05 AM EDT: PEOPLE, WHEN AMERICA IS STRONG, EVERYONE KNOCKS ON OUR DOOR. IN TIME OF NEED EVERYONE TURNS TO AMERICA FOR HELP. THEY DO NOT TURN TO SOCIALISTS COUNTRIES THAT CANNOT FEED THEMSELVES. AND WE THE PEOPLE OF THIS GREAT NATION CAN AND ALWAYS WILL RISE TO THE CHALLENGES OF THIS WORLD. BUT WE HAVE TO FOCUS, OUR STRENTH IS NOT__TO BE DEPENDENT ON FOREIGN OIL. WE HAVE TO DRILL, AND THE BILL OR PACKAGE THAT PELOSI AND HER CRONIES PUT TOGETHER IS A FARCE AND THEY KNEW WHEN THEY DID IT. IT WAS DELIBERATE PLOY TO PUT THE REPUBLICANS ON THE HOT SEAT AGAIN, BECAUSE IT DOES NOT WORK FOR MANY REASONS. WHAT THEY DID,IN REALITY IS CAUSE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO SUFFER AGAIN. AND YOU ALL SHOULD, CALL , WRITE, COMPLAIN, FLOOD YOUR POLICTICAL OFFICES AND TELL THEM TO GET IT RIGHT. OBAMA KEEPS TALKING ABOUT CHANGE, WELL GUESS WHAT, HE IS STILL A SENATOR, GO BACK AND TELL THEM TO DO IT AGAIN, AND GET IT RIGHT. THIS PLAYGROUND THAT PELOSI IS RUNNING IS HURTING US!!!!!TAKE TWO MINUTES TODAY AND MAKE A CALL. TELL THEM THAT IT IS TIME, NOW. THEY ARE PLAYING WITH OUR LIVES,(JUST LIKE WALL STREET) GET IT RIGHT OR WE WILL FILL ALL OF YOUR POSITIONS IN THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTION WITH SOMEONE WHO WILL. NO POLITICS PEOPLE, THIS IS OUR AMERICA,TELL THEM TO GET IT DONE RIGHT AND QUIT WASTING OUR TIME!!!; Reply to this comment


by kight67i September 18, 2008 10:49 AM EDT: NO JOE, I THINK THE NEXT PRESIDENT HAS OTHER ISSUES TO ATTEND TO FIRST, DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL, ECONOMY,HOUSING CRISIS, THEN MAYBE TRY TO WIN THE POPULARITY CONTEST WITH THE WORLD. YOUR PARTY THINKS THAT THE GERMANS WHO CHEERED YOU,WAS YOUR STAGE, IT IS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT IS WHERE YOUR CONCERN SHOULD LIE. THE GERMANS CHEERED ANOTHER ELITIST A HALF A CENTURY AGO...; Reply to this comment


by ladyflint September 18, 2008 9:56 AM EDT: WE NEED TO PUT GOD FIRST IN THE COUNTRY AGAIN AND WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE VALUES ARE FOUNDING FATHER HAD WHEN THEY FOUGHT AND PUT THIS COUNTRY TOGETHER. THEY DIDN''T WANT TO LEAVE GOD OUT OF THIS COUNTRY. THEY KNEW HOW IMPORTANT FAITH IN GOD WAS TO THERE LIVES. SO STOP TAKING GOD OUT OF THIS COUNTRY; Reply to this comment


by elz523 September 18, 2008 9:39 AM EDT: Biden then posed the question, %u201CIs there a single world leader who if Condi Rice, who is a good woman, if she sat across from that leader explaining the matter of war and peace that would raise his or her hand and say there''s no need, I know the President of the United States and I trust him.%u201D

So very true Joe! Today if this president of the United States said the sun would rise tomorrow, people would wait for real proof before they beleived it. What a shame!; Reply to this comment


by neo269 September 18, 2008 5:15 AM EDT: We''ve had a President who lead by example for the last 8 years - who made the ideals of Freedom and Democracy the centerpiece of his foreign policy - only to see them sabotaged by the same sick Liberal Hypocrisy that sacrificed 20 million Vietnamese to lives under a Communist oligarchy, that ignored Saddam''s genocides and actively defended Milosevic''s. That sick Liberal Hypocrisy has created the world the way it is today. This is the world that Liberals have worked for. This is the world they have given their children. This is the world they deserve.; Reply to this comment


by jone775 September 18, 2008 5:01 AM EDT: The choice could not be more clear folks, you can vote for a man who built his campaign on the "military-industrial complex," or, you can vote for somebody who seeks to end the hatred in this country.

I don''t pretend to know the course of an Obama presidency, but knowing what we know about the man, it''s safe to assume he will be one of the great U.S. Presidents.; Reply to this comment