BIDEN!!!

It's Biden. I'm thrilled. My guess is that you care enough about the election to care if Biden got the nod, you do not need me to link to discussions about it.

Biden is serious, smart, and will take the debate to the Republicans. No one has more gravitas on foreign policy than Biden. He could step in as President if need be (God forbid) and do a fine job. Yes, he's loquacious, and yes, he'll put his foot in his mouth every so often. But if those are his worst flaws, well, I think we can live with that. This is a great ticket for the Democrats.

I only wish Obama had not buried the choice in the recesses of the news cycle -- late Friday night/Saturday morning? And on the eve of the Democratic convention? Why not do it earlier and hope to get two bumps rather than fold the two major events into one bump in the polls?

But in the end, the choice for VP is a test of judgment. Obama has passed that test. Obama/Biden. This is my favorite ticket in my lifetime, without a doubt, and is historically pretty damned sound, at least from the perspective of less than twelve hours.

Warm Bucket of What?

Longtime reader Good Liberal asked the perfectly reasonable question with regard to this post: what did John Nance Garner actually say about the value of the Vice Presidency? Come to find out, we're not exactly sure. But Patrick Cox, writing at The Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin (Woo Hoo Flagship institution!), looks into this anecdote. (See a fuller pdf article here.) Apparently the quotation, if it existed, refers to a bucket of warm spit, but in my heart it will always be a bucket of warm piss.

As of right now, 3:54 Central Time on August 20, 2008 we have no apparent movement on the Vice Presidential choice front. Or at least no choice seems forthcoming.

The Veepstakes

The speculation as to the candidates' Vice Presidential choices is in full-speed mode. And as usual, even as the guessing game continues apace, no one actually has any idea who will emerge as the second on the ticket.

As a Democrat I am most excited about the possibility that Joe Biden will be the one. He occasionally puts his foot in his mouth, but he is almost inarguably one of the most serious foreign policy minds on the Hill. In many ways I'd almost prefer that Biden be tagged for a post that will enable his foreign policy gravitas to shine -- State, SecDef (though I am among those who believes that keeping Robert Gates in that post would be a fine decision), NSC -- but from a purely political standpoint I am thrilled at the idea of a serious, experienced, smart Vice Presidential nominee who will both serve in that vital capacity of all seconds, attack dog, and who will also be able to advise Obama about the most important issues he will face abroad.

Biden is not perfect, but no VP nominee is for either party, and his strengths far outweigh his negatives. And I think the last generation has shown the Vice Presidency to be much more than John Nance Garner's famous formulation of being not worth "a bucket of warm piss" given the vital and active roles played by Al Gore (for good) and Dick Cheney (I'd argue for not so good), which means you want a serious person in the position and not merely a placeholder or someone who will provide little more than the coveted news cycle poll bump.

From the Primaries to the Veepstakes

He has a bit of a temper. He is inclined to say what he thinks, irrespective of the consequences (and to the chagrin of his handlers). He entered the primary season as a respected lion of the Senate. He had some integrity issues earlier in his political career, in the 80s, but those seem to be by-and-large behind him. He once ran unsuccessfully for his party's nomination prior to 2008. He began the primary season almost an afterthought in his party. And now everyone seems to be talking about him.

I am referring, of course, to Senator Joe Biden.

I liked Biden when the primary season started and felt that he ought to have been considered more seriously than he was, especially given his legitimate gravitas on issues such as foreign relations and the judiciary. Nonetheless, the voters spoke. But as soon as he dropped out I hoped his name would reemerge, whether as a possible Vice Presidential pick or else as a high-level cabinet (or cabinet-type) nominee, such as Secretary of State, for head of the National Security Council, or possibly SecDef.

Indeed I think he might serve the administration better in one of those positions, but the Veepstakes are as much about serving the ticket now as about serving the administration later. I am not convinced just how much the choice for VP actually influences the way voters act, but as a symbolic gesture it is vitally important. Biden would represent a fine choice and, to my mind, more of a dream ticket (especially in terms of winning) than one involving Hillary as Veep.

More Veep Fun

Following up on last week's latest entry in the mind-boggling audacity of Dick Cheney come two worthwhile pieces from The New Republic online. The first is Eric Rauchway's comparison of Aaaron Burr and Cheney for the dubious title of "most dangerous Vice President ever." Second comes Michael Currie Schaffer's argument for defunding the office of the Vice President, something that began as a publicity stunt but that based on Cheney's own other-side-of-the-looking-glass worldview takes on a certain logic.