Biden's going to Pakistan.

[jillan]

Wow - this surprised the heck out of me!
I figured since he was VP he wouldn't be making these kind of trips anymore.

---------------------

Joe Biden to visit Pakistan to defuse tension

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: United States vice-president-elect Joseph Biden will arrive in Pakistan on a two-day visit this week to defuse the tension between Pakistan and India after the Mumbai terror attacks, a private TV channel reported on Sunday.

The channel quoted diplomatic sources as saying that a high-level congressional delegation would also accompany Biden.

The delegation would meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to discuss the war on terror in Pakistan, Pak-India relations and a $15 billion aid package for Islamabad.

The sources said the US delegation is likely to arrive in Pakistan on January 9.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\01\05\story_5-1-2009_pg1_6
(whole article posted)

I wonder who's going with him from Congress? Hopefully Sec Service will also be there to protect the VP of the United States, and his cronies.

[Muttocracy]

1. interesting! I wonder if Kerry will go.

Did Rice ever go over anyway? Not that she would have helped - she seems to leave problems in her wake (e.g., Georgia)

[jillan]

3. I was wondering about Kerry too.

Pakistan has been one of Joe's areas of expertise. I have read that he has people on the ground. For that reason alone he should take Kerry so Kerry can take over from where Joe left off.

That was a Pakistan news source that reported the story.
Hasn't hit the US press yet - but - Joe made a gaffe - and of course, the US press is reporting on that :eyes:

[Muttocracy]

5. Kerry was with him on the last trip too - and it was Kerry's subcommittee

haven't seen the "gaffe" yet. And what was that whole thing about a new pres. being tested on international issues soon? hmm...

[jillan]

6. I just posted this over at the Kerry group.

[jillan]

7. And I got excited that someone replied to my post---JIOOU

:P

[Muttocracy]

8. sorry

:hide:

[jillan]

10. Just teasing - you know that?!

Kerry was just in India, so I guess he probably isn't going.

[Muttocracy]

2. hey, could this be one reason Joe hasn't resigned his Senate seat yet? nt

[jillan]

4. Thought about that too.

[WheelWalker]

9. I think that could be the case, too. I have the feeling that as long as Joe Biden's breathing, he's

gonna be working.

[jillan]

11. Hi VI! Good to see you!

[WheelWalker]

12. Good to be with you, my friend.

I have been in Rains Retreat.

[jillan]

13. Rains Retreat? Where is that?

And I hope it was a memorable time.

[WheelWalker]

14. It is an annual period

of spiritual renewal, similar to the Christians' Lent. I retreat to a small cabin in the coastal forest for meditation and the practice of monastic precepts. An ordained monk's Rains Retreat traditionally lasts three months during the southeast Asian monsoon season from August through October. I am able to give but three weeks during the opening of our own storm door.

On Edit.>>

42 degrees, 10 minutes, 19.57 seconds, North
124 degrees, 21 minutes, 19.22 seconds, West

[jillan]

17. That sounds wonderful.

I must confess that my whole body went into relax mode just reading that....

I can't imagine how relaxed and peaceful you must feel after attending.

[livvy]

15. What about Kaufman?

Would he be entitled to go, and/or would that be something Joe might think would be a good idea? He might like his replacement to be up on an issue he is so passionate about. It would also act as a formal introduction to Zardari, Gilani, etc. However, I don't know if he would be allowed to go since he is not officially in office. :shrug:

[Jennicut]

16. Per an article he is going with a congressional delegation

"US Vice President-elect Joseph Biden will travel to Pakistan this week to defuse regional tensions in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, according to a media report.

A high-level Congressional delegation will accompany Biden during the two-day visit, diplomatic sources were quoted as saying by a TV channel.

The sources said the delegation is likely to arrive in Pakistan on January 9.

The delegation is expected to meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to discuss
Pakistan-India relations, the war on terror and a 15-billion dollar aid package for Islamabad."
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=8cd25b10-f9af-4805-a041-e22e0659739c&MatchID1=4875&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=3&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1229&PrimaryID=4875&Headline=Joe+Biden+to+visit+Pakistan

[TayTay]

18. Sen. Kerry will be going as well as 3 other Sens.

Kerry To Join Sen. Biden on Bi-Partisan Senate CODEL to Southwest Asia


WASHINGTON, D.C. – Incoming Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) today announced he will join outgoing Foreign Relations Committee Chairman and Vice President-Elect Sen. Joe Biden later this week on a fact-finding trip to Southwest Asia. The CODEL will also include Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

Kerry most recently traveled to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Georgia and India, this past December where he met with Presidents Asif Ali Zardari, Hamid Karzai, Mikheil Saakashvili, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, among other top officials. In the 110th Congress, Kerry served as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs.

For security purposes, the details of the congressional delegation’s itinerary will be released throughout the week-long trip.



###

Sorry this was a bit terse. I am going to DC tomorrow for the swearing-in and I am sort of in a hurry trying to get things done. My apologies.

[jillan]

19. Thank you Tay Tay for the info!

You are the best (((hugs)))

That is great that you are going to DC for the swearing in. Enjoy!!

[TayTay]

20. Thanks!

The US House and Senate are being sworn tomorrow. (So Sens Biden and Kerry will be sworn in.) Should be fun. Lots of receptions.

[Jennicut]

21. Thanks, I am looking forward to that. Doesn't Cheney have to swear Joe in?

Now that will be funny.

[Muttocracy]

22. Have a blast! Sounds like a good delegation

well, maybe not the Graham Cracker. I'm surprised he's not on SFRC actually.

[karynnj]

23. Neither are Collins or Reed - it looks like it is both Armed Services and SFRC

I wonder if it is to get updated info to modify the Biden/Lugar bill on Pakistan that the SFRC has already (I think) marked up - and to get unified support from the Armed Services committee.

[jillan]

24. Obama signed on as a co-sponsor of that bill, so

it will be interesting to see what becomes of that. (Didn't Kerry become a co-signer as well?)

I dunno tho, with Obama asking for close to a trillion for the economy, I don't know if Congress is going to be too keen on sending money to Pakistan, even tho it would help tremendously with the stability in Pakistan, which in turn would help us in our 'war' on terror.

[karynnj]

28. Kerry was on it from the beginning and it was similar to things he and

the many other SFRC people were for. (The hearings in that committee were cool - with Hagel, Biden, lugar and Kerry pretty much in sync. Kerry as chair of the subcommittee has been advocating for those things for at least 2 years

Here is the current bill - many SFRC are original co-sponsors -
S.3263
Title: A bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to promote an enhanced strategic partnership with Pakistan and its people, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. (introduced 7/15/2008) Cosponsors (11)
Latest Major Action: 9/26/2008 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 1093.
Senate Reports: 110-510
Jump to: Summary, Major Actions, All Actions, Titles, Cosponsors, Committees, Related Bill Details, Amendments
SUMMARY AS OF:
7/15/2008--Introduced.

Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2008 - Authorizes FY2009-FY2013 appropriations for assistance to Pakistan under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for projects to benefit the people of Pakistan, including projects that promote: (1) democratic governance; (2) economic freedom and growth; and (3) investments in people, and particularly, women and children.

Limits certain military assistance and arms transfers to Pakistan until the Secretary of State certifies that Pakistan's security forces: (1) are making concerted efforts to prevent al Qaeda and the Taliban from operating in Pakistan's territory; and (2) are not materially interfering in Pakistan's political or judicial processes.

Directs the Secretary to develop a comprehensive, cross-border strategy for working with the government of Pakistan, the government of Afghanistan, the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), and other allies to implement effective counterterrorism and counterinsurgency measurers along the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
MAJOR ACTIONS:

7/15/2008 Introduced in Senate
9/26/2008 Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Dodd without amendment. With written report No. 110-510.
9/26/2008 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 1093.
ALL ACTIONS:

7/15/2008:
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

7/29/2008:
Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

9/26/2008:
Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Dodd without amendment. With written report No. 110-510.
9/26/2008:
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 1093.

TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)

* SHORT TITLE(S) AS INTRODUCED:
Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2008

* SHORT TITLE(S) AS REPORTED TO SENATE:
Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2008

* OFFICIAL TITLE AS INTRODUCED:
A bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to promote an enhanced strategic partnership with Pakistan and its people, and for other purposes.

COSPONSORS(11), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)


Sen Boxer, Barbara - 7/22/2008
Sen Carper, Thomas R. - 7/22/2008
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. - 7/22/2008
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham - 7/30/2008
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. - 7/30/2008
Sen Durbin, Richard - 7/22/2008
Sen Hagel, Chuck - 7/22/2008
Sen Kerry, John F. - 7/22/2008
Sen Lugar, Richard G. - 7/15/2008
Sen Obama, Barack - 7/22/2008
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon - 9/8/2008

COMMITTEE(S):

Committee/Subcommittee: Activity:
Senate Foreign Relations Referral, Markup, Reporting

[jillan]

29. Are you referring to the hearings on Pakistan where Holbrooke was in the second

group?

If so - those hearings were amazing. There was some guy (I can't remember his name - I wanna say Vos, but I don't think that's right) in the first group
that was telling the SFRC the truth about what was going on in Pak. and Afghanistan.
I was mesmerized.


Hopefully Kerry will be able to bring this to the floor soon.
I just worry about it getting approved because of what is going on in our own country, even tho Foreign Policy experts say it is a small price to pay.

Looking at that list of co-sponsors, Lugar and Hagel were the only repugs. Typical.

[karynnj]

31. I think that was the hearing

there was another mostly on Afghanistan that ended when there was an evacuation because of smoke in the Senate building. I assume that there are a lot of things Kerry wants to bring hearings on - after going on the Biden trip - he will have visited all these areas two months in a row. I can't imagine that there won't be hearings.

[jillan]

32. Make sure you check out that article from The Atlantic.

I posted the link at the bottom of this thread & in Tay's thread in the Kerry group.

It is informative - made me understand why Joe is going and possibly why Hillary isn't.

[karynnj]

33. OK - I missed that one

[jillan]

25. Ewww - I could just smack Chris Matthews right now ~

He said that Biden was sworn in today so he could go on one more junket before he leaves the Senate.

Yeah - a-hole - going to Pakistan to see if they can do something about Al Qaida is really a junket :crazy: :crazy:

[Muttocracy]

26. right, 'cause flying to Pakistan/India/Afghan is such a pleasure trip.

:eyes:

[karynnj]

34. Can't believe he said that

Now, I'm sure he would turn down the same trip - even if Biden promised him the classiest hotels in every city they visit. Who knows what a 4 star Kabul Hotel is like!

(Kerry is actually NOT going - it seems there will be votes where he will be needed - I don't know if that affects Reed as well.)

[PatSeg]

27. Yeah, that didn't come out right

though I don't think he necessarily meant it that way. Who knows though, he's doesn't generally think before he speaks.

[Jennicut]

35. Tweety is more the gaffe prone guy then Joe is

Somehow going to Pakistan and Afghanistan does not seem glamorous. Actually, I am a bit worried about Joe's safety being the VP and all. But he is not Cheney so he probably won't have nutsos try to bomb him like they did to Darth in Afghanistan.

[PatSeg]

36. Yeah, Tweety is a REAL gaffe machine!

That guy has a real knack for putting his foot in his mouth.

Not being Cheney is definitely an advantage for Joe, that's for sure.

[jillan]

30. Interesting reading in The Atlantic

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/01/why_bidens_going_to_the_region.php

[Jennicut]

37. Collins, Kerry and Reed won't be going now, because of voting in the Senate

But Lindsay Graham is still going. SO much fun to be on a trip...alone with Lindsay Graham of all people! Poor Joe.



WASHINGTON — Vice President-elect Joe Biden departed on his last foreign trip as a senator today, traveling to countries in Southwest Asia that have yet to be disclosed for security reasons.

Biden is traveling as outgoing chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, not the vice president-elect, and is accompanied by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

During his recent ABC interview, Biden said he yielded responsibility of the committee to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the incoming chairman, however Kerry will not be on the trip.

He and Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, were originally scheduled to go but are unable to attend because of recently scheduled Senate votes over the weekend, according to Biden’s spokeswoman.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090108/NEWS/90108034

[PatSeg]

38. Oh yuck!

Lindsay Graham? That's going to be a fun trip...........NOT.

[Jennicut]

39. Wonder if they will talk about their "friend" McLame..and how he is holding up since losing the

election
Going on a trip to Pakistan with Lindsay Graham would not be my first choice but that is just me

[PatSeg]

40. Oh, I'm quite sure its not JUST you

Of course, it might actually be fun for Graham, especially after all those months he had to endure McCain and Lieberman. At least with Joe, there will be a few laughs provided Lindsay has a sense humor.