by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright August 24, 2008
All Rights Reserved.                    

         Democratic presumptive nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il) finally flashed his cards, picking six-term Washington insider Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) as his running mate.  Barack’s brain-trust—chief strategist David Axelrod, campaign manager David Plouffe and communication director Robert Gibbs—hyped the pick, cleverly diverting attention away from Biden in the weeks before Aug. 23, when campaign insiders received their e-mail and the public saw the two with their wives on stage in Springfield, Il, where Barack announced his candidacy Feb. 10, 2007.  Before choosing Biden, the campaign floated many names, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and long-shots Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), former VP Al Gore and retiring GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.).

             Picking Biden was Barack’s safe move, bypassing the so-called dream-team, picking Hillary.  Biden provides Obama the much-needed foreign policy experience but doesn’t buy him any real votes, despite touting his middle class Catholic appeal—a bit absurd when you consider Biden, who dropped out after the Iowa primary Jan. 3, could barely get 3% of the vote.  Barack stunned the field, beating front-runner Clinton by over 10%, finally clinching the nomination June 3 after winning Montana and losing South Dakota.  Hillary battled Barack to a virtual dead heat but couldn’t finish off the 46-year-old charismatic junior senator from Illinois.  Hillary’s 19 million supporters thought she had earned her spot the Democratic ticket.  But with her brutal attacks on Barack, team-Obama couldn’t reconcile the bad blood.  A joint ticket would have unified the party and fired up the base.

             Biden’s pick was met with a collective yawn.  While Biden has all the experience and fighting spirit, he doesn’t himself buy Barack any votes.  GOP critics are already criticizing the pick as proving Barack needed mentorship, and, as Hillary pointed out in the primaries, wasn’t ready for commander-in-chief.  They forget about President George W. Bush, when he was running for president as Texas governor in 2000, who had no foreign policy experience.  Picking Dick Cheney, a former congressman and defense secretary under Bush-41, gave George plenty of foreign policy experience dating back to the Nixon years.  Forty-years of collective GOP experience resulted in the worst foreign policy blunder in modern times:  The Iraq War.  Nearly $1 trillion and 4,200 deaths attest to the colossal miscalculation tanking the economy and costing the country incalculable future losses.

           Barack painted himself into a corner with his various picks for VP.  His younger, less experienced choices, like Gov. Kaine and Sen. Jack Reed, did little to reassure voters on foreign policy and national security.  He decided early on that there was too much bad blood with Hillary to give her a serious consideration.  While her supporters held out hope to the end, Hillary wasn’t vetted for VP by Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder.  Most experts agree that Hillary would have netted Barack more votes than Biden, whose recent attempts at presidential politics left him falling short.  Had Barack mended fences with Hillary, it would have produced a far more exciting ticket.  Love her or hate her, Hillary is considered anything but boring.   Picking Biden, while better than some of Barack’s other picks, disappointed many Democrats hoping for a more exciting ticket heading into the convention.

           When GOP  Sen. Hagel traveled with Barack to his successful trip to Europe and the Middle East, speculation swirled about the possibility of a bipartisan ticket.  Barack ran, after all, on a bipartisan or post-partisan platform, hoping to solicit crossover Republicans and independents.  Picking Biden did little to solicit crossovers or independents, or, for that matter, to nail down Electoral voters in any state.  Before the Iowa Caucuses, Biden frequently criticized Barack for his lack of experience.  “Biden has denounced Barack Obama’s poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing—that Barack is not ready to be president,” said McCain campaign spokesman Ben Porritt, only hours after Barack’s announcement.  Playing up Barack’s lack-of-experience only goes so far, since Bush had less before taking the oath-of-office.

           Biden has an appealing personal story, overcoming his wife and daughter’s untimely death only days before he took office in 1973. Yet despite the adversity, the hyperbole prone, tough-talking Biden sometimes gets his foot stuck in his mouth.  McCain now promises to counter Aug. 29 with a tough debater like former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney.  While the right wing won’t be happy with a Mormon, they also won’t accept a pro-choice candidate like former Penn. Gov and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.  Ridge matches up well with Biden, whose more genteel disposition could make the liberal Delaware Democrat look more shrill and hotheaded.  Hillary supporters too won’t be placated with Barack’s pick.  Barack’s first official act could backfire, antagonizing Hillary supporters, discouraging independents and crossover Republicans and promoting deep cracks inside the Party.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

©1999-2005 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.