Biden the Prophet

On October 19 of last year, Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden held a fundraiser in Seattle and warned supporters of an impending international crisis. Here is an excerpt of the speech he gave that day:

"So there are going to be a lot of tough decisions Barack's gonna have to make, a lot of tough decisions, including on foreign policy. And here's the point I want to make. Mark my words. Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year old president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. And he's gonna have to make some really tough- I don't know what the decision's gonna be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it's gonna happen."

Joe Biden

October 19, 2008

Seattle, Washington

I recently revisited this speech and spent some time thinking about what Biden said that day. Obama has been in office a little over four months now, and I can't help but wonder: Is it possible that this "international and generated crisis" has already come and gone. Could Biden have been referring to the outbreak of swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus? It is definitely possible. Infection has become a global problem, the outbreak came well within Obama's first six months, and there is speculation that the virus was cultured in a laboratory. But what if the Vice President was referring to something else entirely? As I repeat the words "international and generated crisis" in which "the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy", I quickly consider the possibility of an impending war. Are there grounds for such concern. Of course. A state of war now exists between North and South Korea following North Korea's announcement that they will "henceforth refuse to abide by the terms" of a 55-year old peace armistice. Considering South Korea is allied with the United States and North Korea is allied with China, the threat of a major war is very real. And, according to Biden's timeline, it could be another two months before the s**t really hits the fan.