"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy... I mean, that's a storybook, man." - Joe Biden to the New York Observer - Jan. 2007
Thanks to the tremendous reserve of mercy shown by Barack Obama, we didn't have to wait until the start of the Democratic Convention in Denver to find out who his Vice Presidential pick would be. Obama has finally announced that his running mate is Delaware Democrat Senator Joe Biden. The skies have cleared, the Angels are singing and the universe can now return to equilibrium. I sincerely hope that all Americans who signed up for Obama's historic text message weren't disappointed or feeling left out by its delivery in the wee hours of the morning. You should now breathe that collective sigh of relief because you'll soon be deluged with spam seeking campaign contributions.
I am delighted that Obama has chosen Joe Biden, the legendary windbag, plagiarist, Delaware Democrat and a six-term Senator who is a card-carrying member of that exclusive club that Obama has so often railed against in the past, Washington insiders.
This whole week and its circus-like atmosphere was yet another episode in Barack Obama's self-absorbed soap opera. It is an established fact that a candidate's choice of running mate is of nearly inconsequential concern to voters when compared with the candidates' own personalities, records and positions. And while at least some news trickled out about John McCain's vetting process, Obama and his media lapdogs, Kool-Aid™ in hand, treated his search for a running mate as some sort of Soviet state secret. Although the media bears a great deal of blame for too much hype over something so routine, Obama could have cooled some of that rampant, mindless speculation without revealing his pick if he had chosen to do so.
Given Obama's choice of Biden to complete his ticket, what does that say about his judgment, his prospects or the direction of his presidency? What do we know of Joe Biden and how will he challenge or influence Obama's thinking? There are two schools of thought. Those that say a Vice-Presidential pick is of no material consequence, that it doesn't really matter. There are others that believe the choice of running mates does matter; that the veep helps determine the direction of the administration and needs to be prepared to assume command should something terrible happen. I tend to believe it's a little of both, which brings up an interesting conundrum for Obama.
If the running mate doesn't really matter, then was it really necessary for Obama to treat his search for a running mate some sort of top secret C.I.A operation? Why keep the rampant speculation brewing the entire week unless you're an insatiable egomaniac who wants it both ways; dependent upon the media attention ahead of his convention but unwilling to break his silence on the most newsworthy details. But let's not focus on the superficial.
Obama's theme of "Change" evidently means he reserves the right to change his mind, even if that means changing the central theme of his campaign. While in some respects, Joe Biden is the perfect vice-presidential candidate he also presents several problems for Obama. In terms of pluses, Biden loves to listen to himself and cannot resist the temptation to bloviate. He has also made comments in the past about not being able to enter a 7-11 without an Indian accent and other racially-charged utterances. His abrasive manner could very well be a bonus and make Obama look like a saint. In many ways, a good Vice-President is the very guy everyone loves to hate.
As for Biden's negatives, he is every bit what Obama described as the specific problem with Washington these days ; He is a six-term career politician who specializes in partisan gridlock and undoubtedly possesses the same, stale Washington thinking that opposes change. Anyone who has spent nearly four decades doing the same exact thing is either the finest in the Universe at what he does or they are far too comfortable doing it. And judging by the news that Biden is keeping his eye on his Senate seat while also running for the White House, I'd say Biden is not entirely comfortable with his prospects for the Vice President's residence, but very comfortable as a Delaware Senator, definitely part of the problem.
Biden supported the Iraq war, which Obama opposed, but he has since flip-flopped and stated that the military surge, which has now led to withdrawal agreements between Iraq and the U.S., was "Not in the national interest". I'm not sure where Biden is coming from, but I do believe winning a war and preventing all out anarchy in Iraq; fixing what we broke was indeed in our national interest, both militarily and politically, regardless of how the war started. You cannot possibly support change in Washington while continuously focusing on the past failings of the Bush Administration. But that is precisely the tightrope that many liberal Democrats straddle these days.
Biden also heavily criticized Obama as a political novice who was simply not ready to assume leadership and then stood by that statement when questioned soon afterwards. I'd like to know what his current thoughts are on that subject. Biden also voted for lobbying reform, while his son is reported to be a registered lobbyist, calling into question Obama's true commitment to change. Once again the VP may really not matter, but Obama is sending mixed signals by contradicting his own message of reform.
Biden's voting record is also peppered with examples where he voted to advance tough legislation, but then conveniently didn't vote on the final bill's passage, particularly with respect to abortion. He is a Catholic who violates the Catholic Church's basic opposition to the practice of abortion, although his position is somewhat more moderate than Obama's. Interestingly, Biden's official website makes absolutely no mention of his position on abortion, you have to dig into his record. Having the courage of your convictions on matters of morality such as abortion is critical. It is one thing to support abortion publicly. At least America knows where you stand. But when you then take Communion and your voting record is a hidden mishmash of positions, it calls into question your political courage.
Biden squandered a previous bid for the White House when he was found to have lifted the words of a British Labor Party politician, for his own use and without attribution, a propensity for which it seems Obama and he have in common. He is an internationalist; a firm believer that we should be far more deferential to to the United Nations than we already are, in violation of both our sovereignty and Constitution. He believes that terrorism is best handled by law enforcement, not the military. He believes that prevention of terrorism is far superior a strategy than preemption. In other words, Biden believes that arresting terrorists and putting them on trial is better than killing or capturing them where they're recruited and trained; But this flawed thinking places too much reliance on the capabilities of other countries where terrorists operate to track and apprehend them and expresses too much confidence that we can somehow track them, interrupt their plans and successfully lock them up here before they have a chance to kill Americans.
Both the delivery and content of Obama's early morning text message told the whole story: He's finding out the hard way just how difficult it will be to actually change Washington. He is having to abandon the new chapter of idealism he was trying to write in favor of the same old Washington playbook of bare-knuckle politics in order to remain competitive. The fact that Obama isn't trouncing John McCain at this point suggests that America may not want Obama's brand of change. It also suggests that the doubts about Obama continue to linger. Not that John McCain is immune from doubt. Fully a third of Americans, including myself, are looking for an alternative.
I am constantly amazed by the hypocrisy of politicians --regardless of party-- who find it necessary to highlight their "working-class roots" as a means of connecting with the plight of average Americans. Whether it's Barack Obama's discounted mansion, courtesy of convicted criminal Tony Rezko, John and Cindy McCain's seven properties or Biden's modest little dump which we got a glimpse of on Saturday, It's pretty hard for any of these people to argue they feel our pain or are still somehow connected to their "humble beginnings".
In the end, a candidate's choice for VP matters not, unless the President becomes incapacitated or dies in office. This specific choice by Obama is no different. But it will never live up to the hype that Obama fed, which can only be a negative for his campaign. If the Obama/Biden ticket comes out on top, Joe Biden can offer his counsel and experience, but ultimately it would be Obama's administration and he would make the decisions. In the final analysis, when you understand who Joe Biden is, Obama's choice of Biden for VP completely flies in the face of everything he has been vowing to change in Washington and makes no sense to me whatsoever.
Did I mention I was delighted?
