Obama chooses Joe Biden to deliver, why Delhi’s looking at him too

“If I were asked to name the pillars for security in the 21st century, India and the United States would be two of them.

“If I were asked to name the pillars for security in the 21st century, India and the United States would be two of them. And for the United States, no relationship is more important than the one we are building with India.” — Senator Joseph Biden, November 16, 2006, during passage of the Act enabling nuclear cooperation in the Senate.

Picking veteran Washington insider Biden as his running mate today, Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama may have tried to counter the Republican campaign’s charge that he lacks international experience or that his rhetoric is too flighty. But in New Delhi, Obama’s choice couldn’t be more relevant — and timely. With the Nuclear Suppliers Group still debating the deal and September 26 the last day of the US Congress, India will turn to Biden to use his clout as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC). Because he used it exactly two years ago.

In September 2006, the US Congress was gearing up for elections in November with Democrats sensing victory. The House of Representatives had passed its version of a Bill to allow the Bush Administration to proceed with negotiations on a 123 agreement with India. Biden was then the ranking Democrat in the SFRC, which came up with a Bill of its own. This was to be then voted by the Senate and, just like now, time was running out.

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India had two problems: US Congressional rules don’t allow carrying forward an unfinished Bill which meant a new Congress would have had to start from scratch in January 2007 and India had several concerns with the Senate’s version of the Bill. It was then that PM’s Special Envoy Shyam Saran met Biden. Biden, as the prospective SFRC head and a strong NPT advocate, could have objected.

But he agreed to work with the Republicans despite the election bitterness between the two camps. Result: Biden’s initiative enabled bi-partisan support and the Senate passed the Bill 85-12. Biden then worked with Republican Senator Richard Lugar to come up with a consent agreement that set the stage for the December meeting in which the House and Senate versions of the Bill were reconciled. More importantly, it was agreed that no amendments would be included after the reconciliation. It was this that addressed most of India’s concerns as outlined by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In the end, the Senate passed the reconciled version which is the Hyde Act.

In February this year, when he met the PM here, he said the deal must return to the US Congress by July for it to act on time. Clearly, it’s running late and it will be over to Biden again.