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Biden faults Bush for Iran's nuclear progress
Vice President Biden on Tuesday blamed former President George W. Bush's administration for allowing Iran to come close to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“When we took office, let me remind you, there was virtually no international pressure on Iran,” Biden told the Rabbinical Assembly Convention in Atlanta. “We were the problem. We were diplomatically isolated in the world, in the region, in Europe.”
Under Bush, Biden added, “America's leadership was in doubt. We were neither fully respected by our friends nor feared by our opponents. Today it is starkly, starkly different. Iran has one and only one ally in the region: Syria, which is under siege … and greatly diminished.”
“We have pursued a policy approach that has effectively isolated Iran and united the world in identifying Iran’s behavior as the problem. And we have, through sanctions, made clear to the Iranians that there’s a high price to pay for their refusal to abide by their international obligations.”
The remarks come as the Obama administration is ramping up its response to Republican attacks against its Iran policy and its support for Israel. While GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has called Iran's progress toward gaining nuclear weapons President Obama's “greatest failing,” Biden last month said Obama “has a big stick” and was committed to preventing a nuclear Tehran.
Tuesday's comments focused on Iran's increased isolation less than two months before Europe is set to cut off oil imports under a sanctions regime spearheaded by the Obama administration.
“Because of the president's efforts, Iran is now isolated and the United States is not,” Biden said.
In his address, Biden went on to call Obama the greatest presidential champion of Israel since Harry Truman became the first world leader to recognize the nation in 1948.
“At every point in our administration, at every juncture, we have stood up on behalf of the legitimacy of Israel,” Biden said. “How many times has the president instructed our ambassador to veto resolutions that were detrimental to Israel?”
