Biden jokes about US bailing out Greece with hundreds of millions !!! How come no one is laughing ???

The Hill

Vice President Joe Biden joked Monday during a visit to Greece about bringing U.S. money to lift the struggling nation out of a financial crisis.

During a trip to Athens, Biden introduced a U.S. Treasury official during a meeting with Greek President Karolos Papoulias, saying "this man represents the Treasury department. He's brought hundreds of millions of dollars."

The Greek and U.S. delegations laughed at the comment as Biden seeks to tread lightly on raw European nerves while officials seek a way through the debt crisis.



Biden followed his lighter-fare comments with a show of U.S. support for Greece, which is working on a severely cut budget aimed at getting its finances in order.

“It is a difficult time for Greece, and we stand ready to help in any way we can,” Biden said. “It is overwhelmingly in the interest of the United States that Greece work its way through this financial crisis and remain a strong and vital part of the European Union.”

The U.S. isn't planning to offer any aid to Greece, although the nation may seek further aid from the International Monetary Fund, without an additional infusion of U.S. loans.

A senior Treasury official said last week that the IMF's resources could handle aid requests and the U.S. wasn't planning to inject any more cash into agency.

Later this week, European finance ministers are expected to meet again as they push for an agreement to restore confidence.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is headed to Europe on Tuesday for three-days of high level meetings on the European debt crisis with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, new Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and Spanish Prime Minister-elect Mariano Rajoy.

Geither is expected to offer advice and urge European officials to take decisive action on the debt crisis that is weighing on the global economic recovery.