Obama/Biden 08

I'm not suggesting it, I'm demanding it!

rock so hard. obiden '08

to calm down, and quit with the flaming you little firestarter you.

But don't try to teach your grandmother to suck eggs.

you're happy enough! that's right! i'll teach you to be happy!

that didn't happen.


'Two top aides resigned from the Presidential campaign of Gov. Michael S. Dukakis today after the Governor acknowledged that one of them, his campaign manager, had given reporters a videotape that helped destroy the candidacy of a Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. The departure of John Sasso, the campaign manager, and Paul Tully, the Dukakis campaign's political director, dealt a serious blow to the candidacy of the Massachusetts Governor. Mr. Sasso especially is widely regarded as a gifted tactician and has played a central role in Mr. Dukakis's political ascendancy.'

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE5D61138F932A35753C1A961948260
10/1/87


Biden was not guilty of anything yet he dropped out of the race because he could not take the focus away from the Bork hearings by defending himself against what would soon be discovered to have been false charges made by a Dukakis staffer, John Sasso. Dukakis fired Sasso over the incident when the press learned that Sasso knowingly painted Biden in a false light.

time while he was being filmed, he inadvertently didn't give the man credit like he did every other time. At least that is what I have heard several pundits and a few articles say about this plagiarism charge. I don't know if that's the complete truth, but from what I've heard and read, Biden got a really bum rap on that. If there is something else that he supposedly plagiarized, I'm sorry, I don't know about that.

What exactly does Hairplug Boy bring to the table anyway?

Does it really matter whether we carry Delaware or not(which we're gonna do no matter who we nominate)?

I'd have been less blunt if it weren't for the "I'm demanding it" tag on the intro post.

What's Joe got that we need?

when I lurk around at RW sites, the biggest rap on him is that they're afraid he'll be lost and weak in foreign policy and national security. I really do think that will be perceived as his weak spot, even though I think he's quite strong on foreign policy. Others have suggested Webb, and I like the military experience, but Webb has only been in the Senate a year, and Sec. of the Navy in the Reagan era doesn't make you a foreign policy expert now. Plus, he's got some personal baggage, and we need him in the Senate. A Governor would be useless for Obama--he doesn't need one, people aren't afraid that Obama won't be able to handle domestic issues, they're nervous about his lack of experience in world affairs and military matters in a time of war.

Strong foreign policy experience, for starters.

You don't think that is needed?

are still stuck at the early JFK "bear any burden, fight any foe" stage?
Do we really need somebody in the next Democratic adminstration pushing for Cuban Missile Crisis/slow escalation in Vietnam types of approaches to all problems?

Why can't we move past that? We know the hard line doesn't achieve anything in international affairs anymore. At least nothing that isn't reactionary.

He doesn't seem especially hawkish to me.

But he probably wouldn't do it (got a good job already), and he said some pretty sour-grapes/graceless stuff to the media after he lost. I get the sense he thinks Obama's a twerp that encroached on his foreign policy territory. That's just my sense--I'll never forget the account by Dana Milbank of Biden studiously and obviously reading a newspaper while Obama questioned Petraeus in the FRC hearing.

he is the best balance for Obama in terms of experience and personality. Obama is great above the fray, but Biden is the best at being the pitbull, rememeber "an noun, a verb, and 9/11." Plus, he's the best guy to send out to Don Imus, O'Reilly, and all the other blowhards because he does well in that format and comes across really blunt and plain talking.

Those who want an Obama/Biden ticket tend to argue for Biden because of his foreign policy experience. Obama is very knowledgeable about foreign affairs and is perfectly capable of running this country's foreign policy. He will also have some very capable advisors. Picking Biden would create the perception of, "Every time there's a crisis, I'll call Joe Biden." Obama does not need that false perception. Especially not after 8 years of Dick Cheney running the country.

Biden had his chance 20 years ago. Like it or not, youth and energy are huge assets in a presidential race and Biden doesn't have them anymore.

IMO John Edwards would be perfect if he hadn't run four years ago.

get the nomination and look more worldly and give the impression that "daddy" will keep us safe. Look at how McCain's standing suddenly improved because of Bhutto's assassination--he didn't have any special insight, but the media made him SEEM like a grown-up expert.

we need someone who can debate him, or at least look serious and have "gravitas" by contrast, because he's very glib with the bullshit at the podium.

and if it is, then Biden is the best to go up against Giualini.

People are voting for the top of the ticket, not the bottom of the ticket. "My running mate has foreign policy experience" is about the worst way possible to counter the attacks from somebody like Rudy or McCain.

Obama needs to engage these attacks head on and show the country that he's ready to be commander-in-chief, not that Joe Biden or whoever else he picks is ready to be commander-in-chief. Under no circumstances should the VP outshine the top of the ticket. The VP should be used to re-enforce the strengths of the top of the ticket, which Edwards does, or to unite the party.

all the various factions will vote for Obama, no doubt. Edwards is just too thin on experience himself, and he was already a bridesmaid and didn't even carry his own state--he really adds nothing to the ticket that Obama doesn't already have. I can see your point in not emphasizing your weaknesses with your choice of running mate, but that running mate has to ADD something. For America to elect a young black man is pretty radical in and of itself, so I think his running mate should be an old been-around-the-block hand like Biden. Cheney assuaged a lot of fears about Chimpy's lack of foreign policy experience (not mine, but..I digress).

But Cheney assuaging peoples' fears about Bush's lack of foreign policy experience worked because Bush was a Republican. Democrats can't do that because the media doesn't let them get away with it and because the Republicans are always the "daddy" party no matter what. Plus Obama is black and we all know that as unfair as it is, that means he will have extra pressure placed on him to prove that he can stand on his own.

Edwards would re-enforce all of Obama's strengths, which is why Clinton picked Gore. My biggest problem with Edwards is that he ran last time. Adding something to the ticket is nice, but you don't do so at the peril of pointing out what the top of the ticket lacks.

I don't see it. Biden is so effective in the Senate though I don't agree with him.

I don't know, but the possibilites are endless if we get there!

Biden just doesn't do it and two senators?

nope

whoever is the nominee will have a Westerner as their VP

I like the governors of Montana, Colorado or Arizona

No one is all that excited about Gov's this time around, anyway--none of the ones in the race are doing that well, except Hucky, but he won in Iowa because he's a baptist minister, not because he's a governor.

a bigger concern than pothole budgets. I'd much rather see him paired up with someone who has been around Washington a long time and knows foreign policy and military stuff. In other years, it's conventional wisdom that governors are helpful for that "exec" experience, but fears of terra and warfare make this cycle different.

It's a strong ticket.

Why would Biden take a step down?

As Senate chairman on Foreign Relations and the Judiciary Committee, Biden would have much more influence than attending funerals of foreign leaders.

As a practical election matter, I think you need an aggressive pit bull for VP, to let Obama stay more presidential. My choice would be Senator Jim Webb of Virginia. He would annoy the hell out of the Republicans and probably grab the 13 electoral votes of normally "red state" of Virginia. Since Virginia has a Democratic Governor, the Dems would retain Webb's Senate seat.

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chairman of the JC. Leahy is.