Solid Decision

25 August 2008



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Obama Chooses Biden as VP, Attack Dog

The Obama campaign played the media masterfully in creating suspense and excitement over the selection of Joe Biden (D-DE) as Senator Obama’s running mate. From here, it appeared a foregone conclusion some time ago, despite hopes that Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico would get the job. Mr. Biden is an admirable politician with decades of Washington experience, and he has the spirit of a Doberman in attack mode when necessary.

This journal has said that the only truly important quality the vice-presidential nominee needs is the ability to take over the Oval Office if the worst happens to the president. In this regard, Mr. Biden is certainly a safe pair of hands. He knows foreign policy exceedingly well, and he has the working relationships in Congress that will help get domestic issues addressed. While not first choice for the position, the Kensington Review can imagine a Biden administration being a success without much difficulty.

On the campaign trail, Mr. Biden’s role will be to trash John McCain and his running mate’s policies and to tie them to the Bush White House. For this, he is reasonably well-suited; Mr. Biden doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and he doesn’t have any compunction about fighting fire with fire. The GOP will run a nasty campaign, and he possesses the talents needed to defend his partner –whose approach requires him to avoid tit-for-tat responses.

Of course, there are still the Clintonistas who believe Queen Hillary should have been asked to take the job, or at least she should have been consulted about whom Mr. Obama should pick. They cite her ability to succeed with white, working class Appalachian voters. Mr. Biden, who grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, has the same ability and none of Mrs. Clinton’s negatives. After the convention, it would be nice to see Mrs. Clinton in her office at the US Senate, doing her job of representing New York.

When all is said and done, the choice of Mr. Biden doesn’t change the electoral math. It isn’t going to sway any undecided voters (except perhaps in Delaware, but that state is solidly Democratic anyway). However, the choice does prove that Mr. Obama understands the importance of the vice presidency to the American system. He didn’t pick a Dan Quayle, and thus, got it right.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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