Obama made his first important executive decision known to the public on Saturday morning, and I must say that it was probably the best one he could have made under the circumstances. Picking Joe Biden as his running mate was smart on many levels.
Although he was never seriously in the running for the nomination, Biden consistently made the biggest splash in the Democratic debates during the primaries. Not only was he usually the one with the sharpest wit or quip, but he also blew the other candidates (including Barack and Hillary) out of the water on foreign policy matters. Seeing that one of Obama's weaknesses is foreign policy and the "experience" factor, Biden is the perfect counterpart on the ticket. Obama is young and relatively inexperienced, Biden has decades of experience, including as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, at the forefront of foreign policy issues.
I think Biden is as wrong as Obama is on Iraq, but I find it interesting that Obama picked one of the more hawkish of the Democratic choices. His original partitioning of Iraq idea has fallen flat, and he has since aligned his views with Obama's. Biden stresses diplomacy first like Obama does, but he has never shirked from advocating military action when he felt it was needed. For instance, Biden was one of the more outspoken supporters of military intervention in the Balkans in the 1990's.
Biden is a good choice. He balances Obama's youth and inexperience with age and decades in public service. He is a noted attack dog, so that may relieve Obama from doing something he has seemed uncomfortable doing, and that is going negative on McCain. Now Biden can do that for him. Biden is a respected foreign policy expert, so that may make voters a bit more comfortable voting for Obama in a year where foreign policy is an important issue. The only risk here is that Biden has a history of putting his foot in his mouth. It was Biden last year who said that Obama was a formidable candidate because he was one of the first black leaders who was "clean and articulate."
11 comments:
Seriously?
Joe Biden is the political equivalent of this guy:
http://www.sitelogicmarketing.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/salesman.jpg
Biden is a cheezeball, has always been a blowhard and things more of himslef that anyone else does. Republicans are laguhing at this pick. The guy continues to make an ass out of himslef in commitee meetings, especially ones that are televised. I remember the Clarence Thoms hearings well. What a doofus.
If he was looking for experience, there are many others he could have gone with that were not from . . .DEL . . .Uh . . .WARE.
I enjoyed the fact that Obama introduced Biden as the next President of the United States.
By the way, completely off the subject, I wanted to respond to one of Pockyjack's comments on another post that I just now read...
Pocky, the reason that Robert Downey, Jr. is always credited as "Robert Downey, Jr." is because Robert Downey (his father), is a director. According to union rules, you can not use the same name as someone already in the business. It's the same reason that Michael J. Fox always uses his middle initial. Michael Fox is the name used by an existing actor.
Anyway, sorry for that. When I actually know the answer to something, it is difficult for me not to pipe up.
Now, back to politics...
Thanks. BUt you have to figure that there are a lot of John Smiths out there or something generic. Certainly there have been conflicts on this before that can't be resolved.
On to politics. I get the feeling that McCain is going to choose Mitt. I have been lukewarm about the McCain candidacy for some time (I still think he is the best bet for republicas given the field), but his anger issues are starting to pop up again and I am questioning his judgement in some of his ads. I have not seen much subsatnce out of his campiagn beyond attacking NObama. If he goes with Mitt, what am I supposed to do? I may just stay home
According to IMDB, there is only one John Smith. All of the other John Smith's have roman numerals after their names.
Usually, when this conflict arises, actors will use their middle names or middle initials: William H. Macy, Michael J. Fox, John C. Reilly, Neil Patrick Harris, Paul Thomas Anderson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Anthony Michael Hall, etc...
Often, actors will come up with completely new names that they work under.
Anyway, sorry to go on about this. I've just always found it fairly interesting.
This is another reason that I hate unions
stupid democrats
On a lighter note . . .every four years my mother and I (well mostly my mother) enjoy watching the democratic convention, not because of the politics, but because the people watching. I think we should all admit that, politics aside, the people who attend the democratic convention are far uglier than the republican convention. I am not talking about the speakers. just the attendees.
Discuss
Obviously, I haven't seen the audience at the Republican Convention yet. However, judging solely by last night's attendees, I find it difficult to believe that the crowd could get any uglier, collectively speaking, of course. Maria Shriver certainly doesn't bring up the attractiveness quotient like she used to.
By the way, I think someone should tell Michelle Obama that it is possible to be both rich and a Democrat. She is spending way too much energy trying to convince me that she and Barry are "common folk".
Yeh, I really don't want to be governed by "common folk." Common folk like to watch NASCAR
Case in point:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Rosa_DeLauro_109th_pictorial_photo.jpg
Every time I give it a chance and every time I turn off the TV in exasperation. Both conventions are mostly hot air. I try to listen to the speeches to be an informed voter, and listen to the endless over-interpretation of every phrase by the media, but it's all just baloney and hype. It's a rally, a fundraiser, a bakes sale for the already converted.
The word pablum has several definitions, one of which is a brand of soft, bland cereal for infants. I looked it up because i cold not get the word out of my head as i listened, and wanted to make sure I was thinking of the right thing. It also means simplistic, trite, and insipid. I mean Hillary, utterly off-putting as a public speaker, pranced out the single mother with cancer routine, the "that young marine" routine, then read Goodnight Moon from a rocking chair as the attendees finished their juice and napped on their floor blankys sucking their thumbs - replete with pablum! I can't take it anymore and it's not ironically amusing or entertaining in the least. I'm freaking busy as hell, trying to care, and these slick, savvy, and well-coached politicians are just bouncing marshmallows off my forehead and muttering "Lap it up Johannes Six Pack. Here try another." -plop- I resent it.
I got nothing but hollow generalizations and some inflammatory and almost certainly inaccurate spears thrown at McCain. Some of you articulate, educated, politically knowledgeable old timers weigh in here and tell me I'm wrong, reactionary, just not reading the incisive enlightening messages between the lines. Johannes is undergoing his Q4 year diuresis of political faith and interest, and needs encouragement.
I know they have plans, both have health care plans, bad ones, both have some plan for this and that, but how many votes are really based on any of that? It's boring to hear about. Eyes glaze over. shouting dies down, people go to the lobby for some junior mints.
Okay, I'm just a little tired and cranky. I need my juice and a nap.
Dammit Johannes! If you did not like those speeches, then you have no hope. No hope for change. You can't be changed for hope. You are what is wrong with america! You fear change and therefore there is no hope. I hope to change your attitude so you can change to have more hope. I hope you understand the change that is coming for hope. Dammit, it is just like Tim Robbins in the Shawshank Redemption! If he did not hope to change his situation, how could he hope for change? So he did change, and he had more hope. That is what Morgan Freeman hopes for too. Ultimately, Johannes, the Dems hope for change so they can change the amount of change that you had originally hoped for when you hoped to become a doctor.
Awesome, Pocky.
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