Hope and Fail

Biden claims sounds of artillery disrupted 2008 trip to Georgia

Veep Joe Biden told the Georgian Parliament he remembered hearing artillery fire and fighter jets during his 2008 visit to the country, but Biden wasn't any where near the fighting, which has subsided by the time he arrived.

Perhaps Veep Joe Biden has been taking pointers from Hillary Clinton.

During a speech before the Georgian Parliament, Biden claimed his rooftop meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in 2008 was interrupted by the sound of artillery fire and fighter jets in the night.

But Biden’s meeting took place days after the Russians had begun their withdrawal in the conflict and had retreated (and dug in) to the town of Gori, some 64 kilometers from T’bilisi, where Biden was meeting with Saakashvili.

From Biden’s speech:

One year ago, as the Speaker referenced, I came to Georgia under very different circumstances. I was advised by many not to come. I was told that it wasn’t a particularly opportune moment. But I wanted to make clear why your independence was so important to my country and the world. Instead of standing in your parliament, I sat on the rooftop of a restaurant with President Saakashvili, as the sound of artillery fire and fighter aircraft punctuated the night.

According to numerous news reports, as of Aug. 17, 2008, the day of Biden’s visit, Russian troops were located at Gori. In fact, during his visit, Biden met with Gori residents who had fled to T’bilisi. Gori was where Russian and Georgian forces exchanged artillery fire — not T’bilisi. In fact, the closest Russian troops came to T’bilisi was 22 miles.

Another farce in Biden’s comments was that he “was advised by many not to come.”

It’s unclear whom Biden is referring to, but then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visitied T’bilisi three days before, on Aug. 15, 2008 — the day Russian troops came closest to the capital.

And if there were bombs dropping in the area of Biden’s meeting, what were they doing shaking hands and taking pictures on the roof (as the photo from the U.S. Embassy in Georgia shows)?

This isn’t the first time Biden has been caught fibbing about his war zone experiences.

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