Barack Obama announced his completely underwhelming choice for his running mate today. It is a safe pick but for an agent of change it is hard to figure how Biden rose to the top as Obama's choice. Yes, he is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and yes he has been the judiciary chairman but he has also been a six term member of the senate and for a congress with a 9% approval rating he is more a symbol of the problem rather than the solution.
He adds gravitas to the ticket in his experience but since Obama is the nominee why was experience any kind of a major factor? Hasn't his attraction been that he is young, energetic and idealistic? Wouldn't another young energetic agent of change with perhaps some public sector executive experience been more exciting a prospect? The Biden choice also brings up a question as to what's worse than a senator and a lawyer on your ticket? The answer of course is two senators and two lawyers.
It can only be his experience that makes him attractive because as a vote getter he is not much of an addition. He ran this year for the nomination and was out by the end of the Iowa caucuses. Even Dennis Kucinich lasted longer than Biden. Add to that, Delaware is not a swing state and is electorally insignificant.
He is likely to be aggressive on the campaign trail as an attack dog type candidate but considering his position on the Iraq War was much the same as McCain's at the time of the vote, there seems to be a bit of nullity on that issue. His only major baggage scandal wise was his plagiarizing Neil Kinnock's speeches in his 1988 run but by today's standard of political misdeeds it is unlikely to be much of an issue.
One interesting note yesterday was that it was reported that the Obama camp had not even bothered to vett Hillary Clinton. Apparently, there were no requests for tax returns, medical records or even conversations about a possibility of Hillary joining the ticket. It will be interesting to see how the Clinton faithful react to this very calculated snub.
Up next is McCain's VP choice and the conventions and we are finally in the end game of this interminable election cycle. Once the poll bumps are over from the VP picks and the conventions, we will get a real feel for where the race is. Obama's choice is a wash, it neither damages him nor enhances his chances. Will McCain do the same? Does he opt for someone safe or does he do something dynamic?
