Biden off the reservation again?

Did Vice President Joe Biden just give Israel the go-ahead to go all Osirak on Iran?

WASHINGTON — Plunging squarely into one of the most sensitive issues in the Middle East, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. suggested on Sunday that the United States would not stand in the way of Israeli military action aimed at the Iranian nuclear program.

…The remarks went beyond at least the spirit of any public utterances by President Barack Obama, who has said that diplomatic efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program should be given to the end of the year. But the president has also said that he is “not reconciled” to the possibility of Iran possessing a nuclear weapon — a goal Tehran denies.

Mr. Biden’s comments came at a particularly sensitive time, amid the continuing tumult over the disputed Iranian elections, and seemed to risk handing a besieged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a new tool with which to fan nationalist sentiments in Iran.

What was not immediately clear was whether Mr. Biden, who has a long-standing reputation for speaking volubly — and sometimes going too far in the heat of the moment — was sending an officially sanctioned message.

It’s entirely possible Biden was speaking out of turn – letting his mouth move faster than his brain.

Or it’s entirely possible that this is a measured diplomatic nudge at Iran.

Possibly even a diplomatic nudge at Israel. You know: the old wink-wink, nod-nod, if you get my meaning and I’m thinking you do?

In fact, the White House might have sent Biden out to say this, knowing that we’d all think “Oh, that’s just Joe again.” Get both the diplomatic nudges and the plausible deniability at the same time.

Ooh, I know! All those Biden gaffes were made on purpose, just to put him in a position to be able to make these kinds of statements - diplomatic nudges - without too much diplomatic risk!

Brilliant!

Or…is it me that’s off the reservation now?

Via Memeorandum