John Adams called the vice presidency “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” Cactus Jack Garner, one of FDR’s vice presidents, once said the post “wasn’t worth a bucket of warm spit.” (Although he ain’t really say “spit.”) That was all pre-Cheney, of course. I’m still not sure how much the choice of a running mate matters to the fence-sitters, but it certainly matters to those who are already decided.
The Obama camp has already more or less staffed their VP choice, but they’re staying mum on who that will be. We could know who Obama’s No. 2 is as early as tomorrow, and donors to his campaign will find out via text before anyone else. A lot of the speculation is that it’s gonna be Biden, who has managed to improve his political reputation with some pretty winning debate answers. This is, you know, even though he said a little while back that he didn’t want the gig.
The Case for Biden. Anyway, Jamelle says that the longtime Delaware senator “certainly isn’t perfect – like others have mentioned, he’s gaffe prone and in thrall to the credit card industry – but he has done a lot of good with his time in the Senate, and it’s worth keeping that in mind.”
Ezra Klein goes further: “Biden is, arguably, the most effective voice Democrats have on foreign policy. And here’s why: Joe Biden is an incredibly arrogant jerk. And that’s exactly what Democrats need. … In the 2008 election, he was the only Democrat who really figured out how to talk about Republicans and foreign policy. All the other candidates on the stage started from the presumption that Republicans were strong on national security, and voters needed to be convinced of their failures and then led to a place of support for a Democratic alternative. Biden dispensed with all that. He started from the position that Republicans had been catastrophic failures on foreign policy, and their ongoing claims to competence and leadership should be laughed at, and even mocked.” M.J. Rosenberg also vouches for Biden’s foreign policy chops.
jilltubman over at JJP hates the Biden idea. “If this guy were a Republican, Democrats would be hanging him out to dry. All he needs is a Confederate flag to complete the picture. We’re talking major Macaca moment potential here. And yes, as hilarious for George Allen as that was, is Obama ready to sign up a VP with a record of racism comments, including one aimed straight at himself during the primaries? I doubt it.”
Yglesias thinks that Biden’s vote for the war in Iraq could be a problem for Barack Obama, but that Biden would be good for Amtrak.
The Case for Sebelius. Last week, Neil over at Cogitamus made the case that the Kansas governor is being unfairly overlooked in Democratic veep talks. “I’m astonished by the number of national progressive issues on which Kathleen Sebelius kept picking fights as Governor of Kansas. I’m even more astonished by her amazing record of winning those fights. She was the first governor in America to object to a coal plant in her state on climate change grounds. She blocked the coal plant with a veto that the state House failed to override and got money to set up wind power. She blocked a health insurance merger that would’ve cost Kansans an additional $248 million in premiums over five years. She successfully vetoed anti-abortion legislation (the override attempt failed by two votes in the House) and wasn’t afraid to have a doctor who performed abortions over for dinner after he won a raffle. And while it’s hard for a governor to take on the Iraq War, she managed to attack Bush for taking the Kansas National Guard to Iraq when she needed them to deal with tornadoes. That picture up top, by the way, is Sebelius signing Sudan divestment legislation. What does this woman not do?”
You Went From Top-Ten to Not Mentioned at All… Sorta related. Not sure if this is a good look for the top editor at the Charlotte News & Observer, but he seems a little touchy about John Edwards’s lying to him about his affair way back in October. “Edwards told me that the allegations were not true. He said The N&O was the paper that arrived on his doorstep every day, the one read by friends of him and his wife, Elizabeth. He said he’d never called before to complain or state his case. Given Elizabeth’s health — she has cancer — he said it was especially important to him that the story not run in The N&O. He was calling from an airport, and we spoke only a few minutes. I made no promises. Edwards’ comments were off the record. Because he has acknowledged he lied, I feel free to report them.”
