Assigned to forge crucial congressional budget deal, Joe Biden instead visits Finland en route to Moldova

President Obama's press secretary Jay Carney, who used to perform essentially the same job for Vice President Joe Biden, was forced to defend both of them Monday as questions rose about the VP's weeklong overseas absence during crucial budget talks that he was supposed to be heading.

As we noted here last week, Obama has detailed Biden to undertake many major assignments, except classroom visits and golf outings at Andrews Air Force Base:

Overseeing the non-recovery recovery spending program, helping House Democrats lose their majority last year, wrapping up the war in Iraq and crediting Obama, meeting with top labor union heads about Wisconsin and, most recently, heading bipartisan talks to cut the spending cut gap between congressional parties.

The sides met once with no agreement.The Senate will defeat some ideas Tuesday. The two-week Federal spending authority runs out next week. And the week after, Obama has dibs on a long trip to South America.

Last year Obama twice postponed an Asian trip due to the press of domestic affairs. But he's just the president and his destinations were minor countries like India and Indonesia.

The vice president hadn't been to Scandinavia until Monday and, after all, International Women's Day is this week.

Biden was about 15 minutes late for his Tuesday meeting with President Tarja Halonen. But, hey, it's only Finland.

And no president or vice president has ever visited Moldava, if you can believe that. So what better time than the week before the next federal budget crisis?

Biden will also visit leaders and some business people in Moscow because, why not?

Because of the pressing nature of this mission, the vice president took his wife, Jill, and granddaughter Finnegan along for the travel experience.

In fact, the official trio squeezed a gym shoe-shopping trip at a....

... Helsinki mall into their otherwise impossible Monday schedule. Like any experienced American male dragged along on such a shopping trip, the vice president of the United States stood by uselessly, but obediently.

So, the question came up at Monday's White House briefing, with the federal government facing a complete shutdown next week, who's running these talks that were so crucial they required the president to delegate the vice president to take charge last week but this week Biden's presence is required in Moldava?

Well, Carney claimed the negotiating continues at the staff level, but he would not or could not specify who was doing all the negotiating.

"There are," Carney claimed, "continued conversations at the staff level that have continued through the weekend and through today, and will continue as the Senate begins to take action on the bills that are on the table, which, I think will be an important milestone as we make progress in these negotiations."

Got it?

The rookie Carney may have thought that no-cal Coke Zero reply would suffice.

But then this exchange ensued:

Q. I wanted to go back to the impact of the Vice President’s trip on the budget negotiations. It seems like an unfortunate timing for those talks. In his absence, who is the administration point person, and is there any effort to keep the Vice President involved in conversations by phone and from Finland?

MR. CARNEY: Well, I would say that, again, I would point you to my answer to Athena’s question. The staff-level conversations are continuing. The Congress, specifically the Senate, is taking up proposals by -- produced by the House on the one hand, the Senate Democrats on the other, and we all are waiting to see the outcome of those votes.

And then I would simply say that in the era of modern communications, it’s certainly possible that the Vice President could get on the phone with anyone here in Washington who needed to speak with him.

Q   Who on the staff is the point person while he’s gone?

MR. CARNEY: I’m not going to specify, simply to say that a variety of staff members, senior staff members, have been in conversations with folks on the Hill about this.

A puzzled senior Republican staffer on the Hill said those alleged talks must be among fellow Democrats because they haven't involved the GOP.

Related:

Now Biden takes lead on budget talks; what's left for Obama?

Full text of Biden's remarks on crucial budget talks between congressional parties

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photos: Kimmo Mantyla / Reuters (Bidens and granddaughter arrive in Helsinki March 7, 2011); Pekka Sakki / Associated Press (Bidens and granddaughter shop for new gym shoes in Helsinki, March 7, 2011); Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press (Carney, March 7, 2011).

Comments

[But hey its only geography]

Considering that you know the word Scandinavia, you should know that Finland is not part of it. But, hey, its only geography, how would you know it?

[jani l]

and by the way: finnish presidens chief of the press said to iltalehti news paper that biden was late only 2minutes, not 15min. and.... we fight your war...

(AM responds: Well, that was very hospitable of the spokesman. 1) ANY late on such occasions is unacceptable among polite people and 2) the official US pool notes from reporters with the VP said 15.)

[observer]

And president Halonen shoots the puck cold bloodedly back to Biden by greeting him: "Happy international womens day, Mr Vice President".

Funny, but true :-)

[asdf]

Observer: I never considered Halonen having much sense of humor, but appearantly she does. Would have loved to see the occasion.

[A Finn]

Yet another example of the american ignorance. Though, I cannot say I´m suprised in any way, after all we´re dealing with a country where 20 per cent of the people cannot locate their home country on a world map. I could start a long rant here, but as a sum-up: You americans (huge generalisation maybe, but at least the vast majority) think you´re living in the best country of the world, but that mindset just stems from false images of things that have very little to do with real welfare, things such as high GNP, success in the olympics, hollywood´s international blockbusters, the invasion of normandy etc. etc. And the way you people cling onto your beliefs and "values" and just refuse to think otherwise even though someone proved things to be something else you´re determined to believe. It annoys me. Maybe now on, I should just think "hey, it´s just the US, so who cares".

[observer]

Latest leak from Finnish ministry of Forign Affairs reveals, that Biden was actually scheduled to meet only Primeminister Mari Kiviniemi and President of Parliament Sauli Niinistö. But after Office of President staff got information about the planned meeting Halonen was sheduled with ad hoc meeting with Vice President Biden in very last minute - before Mrs Kiviniemi and Mr Niinistö (as President is higher in Finnish foreign affairs political hierachy than Primeminister or President of Parliament). This led to vast problems to overall schedule for the day. Thus Biden was late to meet not only Halonen, but also Kiviniemi. And he had only short momen to meet his other original host Mr. Niinistö.

Few years ago similar incident happened, when former Primeminister Matti Vanhanen was invited to meet President Bush to White House to official state visit. Office of President got hint about the meeting and tried to push Halonen as guest instead of Mr. Vanhanen. The end result of that episode was, that the invitation was cancelled for good.

Background to this situation is, that after almost eleven years of power and in end of her second term of presidency Halonen has not got invitation to White House to official state visit. That is most likely due her critical speech in UN for war in Iraq calling the allied forces as breachers of international law. Halonen has made official state visit to US around the same time to that speech, but her host was changed from President Bush to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage in last minute and Halonen had only official photo shooting and around five minutes private conversation with President Bush.

Naturally Halonen (socialist), Kiviniemi (liberal), Vanhanen (liberal) and Niinistö (conservative) are from different political coalitions to add political momentum here. In embarrasement of all Finns and especially of voters of Social Democratic Party of Finland.