We finally know who Obama has chosen as his running mate, and it's about time. Did it feel to anyone else that, after running for 2 years, everything just sort of froze while they waited for time to pass? Why aren't Obama and McCain debating at all? I remember the summer before Bush was elected (yes, he really was elected, both times), he and his opponents were havin debates all through the summer. But here it is, the end of August, schools back in session, and we have only one measly micro-debate at Saddleback church? Give me a break! But I digress.
Joe Biden is officially the anointed one. On the one hand, this incredibly smart on Obama's part. Biden has more experience than anyone else (including McCain), he's a likable guy, he knows most of the world's leaders by their first name (as opposed to McCain, who is proud to have met them), he comes from a working class background, and just seems really down to earth. So he covers Obama's backside in more ways than one.
But here's the rub. Biden cannot make up for Obama's deficiencies. The vice president is NOT the president, and if Obama becomes President, he's going to be the one meeting with all those world leaders, when he can't even tell you what's going on in Georgia and Russia. Obama's the one that's going to be governing the country. Biden's job is going to be to break a tie in the Senate. Yes, Cheney has changed the rules a lot in what the Veep is required to do (which, incidentally, I don't agree with), but Biden isn't going to be president barring a horrible disaster.
Another strike against Biden is that he's got a mouth on him. He likes to speak his mind, which is great when you're a professor at UC Berkeley. But when you're representing your state to the rest of the country (and your country to the world), you need to make sure that what you say is what you want to reverberate with the world for a long time afterward. In a move that was shocking to me personally, McCain went on the attack, using Biden's own words against him ("I don't think Obama deserved to get on-the-job training," which he said when he was running against Obama before the Iowa primary). McCain might not be that smart to run it, because he's already got people on his case about taking the words out of context, but consider this. Biden said that, period. He wasn't forced to, and if he didn't mean it he shouldn't have said it. Second, he took his sweet time in endorsing Obama after it became clear that Hillary was out. Most of the other candidates were sure to jump on the Obama wagon, but Biden didn't. That may come to haunt him in the coming few months.
In short, Biden will be an asset to Obama. However, everyone needs to remember that they are not electing Biden to be their vice president; they're electing Obama to be their president who happens to come with Biden who would step in if Obama is incapacitated. McCain needs to step up to the plate now. He needs to announce a strong Conservative Republican. The choice is more important with him, because let's face it: McCain is old. But more on that later. Till then, ask me questions!