Bloodless Coup: Dionne's Case for Biden - Which Is a Terrible Idea

June 10, 2008

Dionne's Case for Biden - Which Is a Terrible Idea

This is dumb. E.J. Dionne makes the case for Joe Biden because he's a "happy warrior", who's "ready on day 1", and knows a ton about foreign policy.

To which I respond - duh, what?

How in the hell is Obama supposed to make the judgment-trumps-experience argument if he names as his running mate someone with lots of DC experience (like McCain), who admits to showing terrible judgment in trusting Bush (see the end of Dionne's piece), and voted for a war that most see as having gone terribly wrong (or at least most want to get out of). Of course there are other problems with Biden (his ties to the insurance/banking industry being perhaps the most prominent), but if Dionne's point is that it's important for Democrats to win foreign policy debates, why on Earth should Obama turn to Biden who showed terrible judgment on the dominant foreign policy issue of the era?

Posted by armand at June 10, 2008 08:41 AM | TrackBack | Posted to Politics

Comments

He did this on NPR the other day too. Biden. Bleah.

Posted by: binky at June 10, 2008 10:09 AM | PERMALINK

What the pundits don't get is when the average voter pays attention - let's say to the debates - it's not going to be Joe Biden debating John McCain. It's going to be Obama vs. McCain. But by the same token, it's going to be (possibly) Mitt Romney, who is well versed on economic issues, who would be debating against Biden. Biden knows his foreign policy, but isn't so strong on other issues.

Posted by: Jake at June 10, 2008 01:52 PM | PERMALINK

What the average voter is getting - and here I will use my family in Palm Beach County - is: "that Obama is dangerous. Did you hear what that paster said?" Not shit, heard that from two family members in two days last week.

Posted by: binky at June 10, 2008 06:49 PM | PERMALINK

Which is why Obama really ought to take up McCain's invitation to town hall debates, lots of them.

Posted by: moon at June 10, 2008 08:20 PM | PERMALINK

You're absolutely right--no way is Biden a smart choice. The media give him credit for foreign policy heft; but anyone who's listened to his various on-air performances over the pas few decades should be able to attest to the fact that he comes off as a glib lightweight.

Posted by: Gary Chartier at June 13, 2008 08:21 PM | PERMALINK