Say It Is So, Joe

My sentimental favorite, Sen. Joe Biden, got what he wanted...sorta.  Barack chose him as his running mate.

The long-time senator from Delaware, the beloved Catholic son of the working class, the man who has survived the death of his wife, two daughters, a brain aneurysm and a reputation as a moronic windbag, the man who became a senator at the (politically) early age of 29, the man who is now considered a foreign policy expert, a legislative workhorse, and an elder statesmen with a tongue that wont stop flapping, is getting what he wanted.  Well, sorta.

This is also the man that ran for president back in 1988, and was derailed by speech and law school paper plagiarism allegations.  His gauche exchanges with reporters also didn't help much either.  He also butted heads with those he must now brainstorm with.  But he is getting what he wanted...sorta.

Joe Biden is now given the chance to redeem himself of his political ghosts.  He is now able to hush his critics and demonstrate his political prowess and fulfill his ambitions, thanks to a Senator he once called 'naive'.  Obama might be... but in choosing Biden?

Joe Biden, I believe, is perfect for Obama.  The only other VP candidate that I saw that fit the bill was Wesley Clark, but he must have never been in contention.  Biden fills a lot of holes in Obama's campaign and resume.  He also brings a creative tension that is crucial for ambitious administrations.  More importantly, he adds what Obama does not seem to want to undertake.  

Biden will be a pitbull when it comes to defending Obama, and he will not flinch at defending him against a McCain campaign that has had a free ride in doing so thus far.  Biden will also court those factions Obama is getting tired of persuading: the Clinton club.  Biden has deep working class roots, and even deeper working class appeal.  While he may not be able to woo the Angry Women of Hillary, he will strike a chord with the blue-collar workers she convinced during her campaign.  Vote for vote, that is more important.

A stumbling block will be Biden's vote in 2002 to authorize the Iraq War.  This was the major reason there was an outcry by Obama supporters when Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh was being considered as a top contender for the VP slot.  But, unlike Bayh's conflicting position vis a vis Obama's on Iraq, Biden's sin will be forgiven. 

This man has been in the senate for decades, while Bayh is still an upstart.  His resume is more comparable to Kerry's than to Bayh's, and with that comes both understanding from the public and conflicting stances on almost anything.  The problem with Senators is that they will take both sides to every issue, eventually.  The important thing is how vocal where you with each, and what do publicly regret later on.  Biden has been vocal on the right things, and has publicly criticized the war AND his own vote for the last few years.  He is a senator, but he is a likeable one because he recognizes his humanity and flaws.

Obama could not pick a better VP to redraw comparisons with the Kennedy campaign of 1960.  Biden is Lyndon Johnson to Obama's JFK: a seasoned, loquacious, senator with great legislative reach and influence, to aid a young senator's hopeful, ambitious, and somewhat cocky entry to a White House ripe for change.  

This might end up looking a lot like 1960, actually.  The curmudgeonly McCain against the pretty-boy Obama.  Nixon v. Kennedy.  The debates await to prove or not my theory.

The next question is: will Biden be Lyndon B. Johnson, or will he just be Biden circa 1988, an undisciplined campaigner who couldn't take the heat on the national stage?  Maybe Obama could teach him a thing or two about that.

lhp