Oct. 20, 2008
"Remember, I said it standing here, if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy."
—Joe Biden, telling donors at a private fundraiser in Seattle that Barack Obama will likely be tested by an international crisis during his first few months in office
The GOP pounced on the Veep candidate's remark, saying it underscored Obama's inexperience. McCain made it a major talking point at rallies and in TV ads, claiming that unlike Obama, he had already been tested. The Obama camp, at pains to explain what point the gaffe-prone Senator was trying to make, said that he was referencing a "simple fact that history shows presidents face challenges from day one."