Biden in Emmetsburg: Make Hope and History Rhyme

by: IowaVoter

Tue May 29, 2007 at 23:25:17 PM CDT

History says, Don’t hope

On this side of the grave, 

But then, once in a lifetime

The longed-for tidal wave 

Of justice can rise up

And hope and history rhyme.

                     Seamus Heaney

Hot on the heels of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden charmed a crowd of 110 guests at the home of Senator Kibbie tonight.

If the caucus were tomorrow, he might win Emmetsburg.

Quoting Irish poet Seamus Heaney, Biden said the goal of the 2008 election will be to get the US out of the hole dug by the Bush government.  He said Iraq is the biggest boulder on the road to the future.

 More . . . .

Biden's entire stump speech was about Iraq and the recent vote of more unrestricted money for the war.  Biden believes Bush would make the  soldiers pay (i.e., Bush would endanger them even more) if Congress failed to vote more money on Bush's terms.  But he thinks continual re-votes on Iraq will weaken Republican support for the war as the next election approaches.

Former Rep. Berkeley Bedell posed the first question.  It was  about another boulder in the way of better government.  Bedell asked Biden to support 

public financing of campaigns.  Biden said he and Iowa Senator Dick Clark introduced the very 

first public financing bill back in the early 1970's, adding that he supports the new Durbin-Spector bill.

More questions about agriculture(he promised his Sec of Ag will not be from the agribiz giants or the Farm Bureau), energy, tuition costs and Iraq war funding highlighted the meeting.

At the end the mostly senior citizen audience crowded in for photographs, autographs and even hugs.

Biden was Kibbie's guest for the evening.  As darkness fell, the Senator and one Kibbie grandchild were at the lakeshore talking about Wave Runners.  Senator Biden charms even those too young to vote.