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Why Biden is a good choice as Obama's running mate

By "Milbarge" and "Fitz-Hume"

He may not be the perfect choice, but pretty good overall, I think. A few thoughts. First, one reason I saw against picking Biden is that it could be spun as an admission that Obama needed shoring up on foreign policy. This selection could be cast as Cheney-esque, in the sense of "Don't panic! A grown-up will be present to chaperone!" Picking Biden shows some humility on Obama's part, some recognition that he isn't the leading expert on everything, or appealing to all voters. The only people who could have done more to send that message were Hillary Clinton and Al Gore, and Obama's not that humble.

Second, how long until the media (and Obamaphiles) start comparing this ticket to another pairing of sitting senators, one fresher and one a fixer? Biden won't deliver Texas, but I don't think the Democrats will shy away from people bringing up JFK and LBJ.

Third, picking Biden makes McCain more likely to go "outside the box." Had Obama chosen a relatively ordinary, less-well known person like Bayh or Kaine, McCain could have taken the safe route with Tim Pawlenty. Now he has to choose someone to match the stature of Joe Biden. Mitt Romney is the most obvious choice, but he brings some risks. However, I think the Biden choice makes McCain at least marginally more likely to pick a stunner like Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge. My wildest dreams (and Feddie's worst nightmares) include a McCain-Lieberman ticket, so I won't say any more on that, lest I jinx it.

Finally, the McCain camp is already hitting back with lots of quotes from Biden regarding Obama's inexperience and unpreparedness to be president. (It's still not as jarring a flip in support of a former rival as Johnson's of Kennedy or Bush's for Reagan or McCain's for Bush, I'd suggest.) When he is inevitably asked about this, wouldn't the best answer -- the most Biden-esque answer -- be something like, "If he can out-debate me, he's qualified to be president!"

Full post as published by Begging the Question on August 23, 2008 (boomark / email).