Lost In The Shuffle: What Is Biden's Role?

New York Times:

The day before Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s birthday last week, Barack Obama surprised him after lunch with candlelighted cupcakes. Within hours, the photograph of the president-elect and his running mate, smiling over the dessert, was on the evening news.

The photograph, circulated by Mr. Obama's office, was meant to project unity, confidence and camaraderie. But while Mr. Obama has moved quickly to assemble his White House staff and the beginnings of a cabinet, he is lagging behind even the chronically late President Bill Clinton in bringing clarity to the role his vice president will play.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[08politicaljunkie]

04:26 PM on 11/26/2008

Well gee, what could VP-Elect Biden be working on with his vast knowledge and experience: Supreme Court picks, foreign affairs (Iran, N. Korea, Russia, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Pakistan...), ways to fund/increase public safety in a nation where everyone is losing money.

The answer is within the question -- Why did Obama ask him to be his VP?

[LizM]

08:01 PM on 11/26/2008

Exactly. And, people tend to forget that the Vice President-elect remains the only person on the face of the planet who has developed and honed a comprehensive strategy to reverse US policy in Iraq by promoting a sustainable political solution based on federalism and Iraq's constitution.

Vice President-elect Biden is still the leader among Democrats on foreign policy and national security with impeccable and unimpeachable credentials that are second to none.

Predictably, the NYTimes equates all of that with being lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately, we have become all too accustomed to this kind of idiotic analysis from the media and blogosphere. Unfortunately, the media simply do not understand a word Biden says or anything he does - they aren't smart enough. I have little faith that will change anytime soon.

[08politicaljunkie]

09:06 AM on 11/27/2008

You should write (if you don't already).

Journalists are taught to use an eighth grade vocabulary to convey their ideas -- so everyone can read the articles. But it seems these news agencies are plucking writers from the eighth grade these days.

[luke150]

04:20 PM on 11/26/2008

Well, I guess Obama will always be criticized even for the insignificant things. There is a major ecnonomic crisis to deal with, NYT is focusing on the role of Biden. Common, NYT, a little more serious.

[LeaveArtieAlone]

04:17 PM on 11/26/2008

Total conjecture!

[ZimboChick]

03:57 PM on 11/26/2008

u poor thangs are bored aren't u? No real scandls out there. Dig up some stuff on Anne Coulter - go!

[beaupritchard]

03:18 PM on 11/26/2008

"Consigliere (pronounced [konsiʎˈʎɛːɾe]) is the Italian term for an adviser or counsellor. It is derived from the Latin consiliarius, from consilium, "advice."

The consigliere is a close, trusted friend and confidant.

A consigliere is not simply an adviser; he may be the second highest ranking member of a family, second only to the Obama -- in some aspects, he is seen as the Obama 's right-hand man. As in many royal courts in history, the most powerful position must be kept within the family and the royal bloodline; however, the second most powerful position is often the adviser to the king, a position given to the most qualified man for the job regardless of background.

Most theoretical descriptions of a Consigliere tell of an aged, respected, veteran who is consulted on a variety of matters. The Consigliere bases his advice on what is right rather than what is in his or his boss's best interests.

The status of consigliere in Chicago is different from other regions. The Outfit consigliere is a senior member with more power than the boss in some ways, with privileges such as the first recommendation and final veto on policy and action."


Always know where the quiet man in the room is.

[Judyisacutie]

02:52 PM on 11/26/2008

I thought Biden was the Jeff to Rahm Emanuel's Mutt. VP's are also naturally senior advisors. That's just a given.

[KNadine]

02:03 PM on 11/26/2008

Media creating mischief - AGAIN!!

[cheflette]

02:02 PM on 11/26/2008

This is a non-story. There are more important things to figure out, like who is economic team is to navigate this disaster. He knows why he picked Joe Biden and that will all come in good time.

[hotstuff]

02:30 PM on 11/26/2008

I hear Biden is already pretty busy with contacting leaders of other country's and clearing the way for foreign niceitys to take place on day one! Nothing like hitting the ground running.

[dissanayake]

01:13 PM on 11/26/2008

He (Biden) would be a tremendous asset to President Obama, as the expereinced statesman that he is. Both men are Constitutional scholors, a refreshing change from the 'Constitution is just a goddamn piece pf paper " cretins that bungled this nation into an ever spirlelling hellhole of losses. As for Biden being quiet for a change, would do him and the news media a world of good- without Biden making news that we cannot use, times are too crucial to let him loose right now.
"mark my words' indeed.!!

[ikickss]

01:02 PM on 11/26/2008

VP Biden will be busy enough. He will make a trip to Europe the very first week of inauguration to discuss NATO troop increase in Afghanistan. He will also be the chief congress wrangler and pointman. He will be busy enough.

[peacevet]

12:54 PM on 11/26/2008

I worked for and voted for Obama. I admire his cabinet picks. I for one would like to hear him use the pronoun "our" once in a while, can somebody near him remind him it sounds better to say "our administration" than always "my administration". He has a lot of great minds working, for him or is it with him?

[allonfla]

01:07 PM on 11/26/2008

He uses MY because the decisions and visions will be HIS. Have you not noticed from the comments on this website that people think Obama's personnel picks means the policies will be theirs not his own? This is Obama's administration as it was Bush's administration as it was Clinton's administration.

[BuyRubles]

01:54 PM on 11/26/2008

Good call.

[bholl]

12:50 PM on 11/26/2008

AND WE ARE ALREADY THREE WEEKS INTO THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION....PANIC, PANIC,

Oh, never mind.

[wm1066]

12:36 PM on 11/26/2008

Biden can't do anything right now until he is sworn in. This is a made up story to fabricate drama.

[SparkyDash]

07:37 AM on 11/27/2008

Not as official VP, as Cheney still has that role, but Joe Biden has been very busy working with Obama, and continuing foreign affairs communications, setting up his office and staff, meeting with Obama weekly, etc. He has also contacted elected and other officials in the states for Obama; for example, Mark Begich, the new Democratic Senator for Alaska (beating Ted Stevens) stated he received a call of support and advice from Vice President-elect Biden a matter of days before Begich officially won his seat. Biden is smart , experienced and a force of nature...he stays busy and on point. Obama made a great choice.

[lj9283]

12:27 PM on 11/26/2008

Comon, this is NOT the Cheney administration. The VP is not the co-leader of the nation.

I am sure Mr. Biden has his plate full. How much in intelligence briefings, foreign affairs briefings, domestic affairs briefings, security briefings, above and beyond the constant barrage of economic briefings are passing across his desk every day.

The Bush/Cheney cronies have left the country as a disaster on all fronts for the new administration to rescue. Remember that the election was less than a month ago, and I can only imagine that every day brings more and more briefings that describe greater and greater mismanagement and cronyism. I can imagine that a good deal of the time that Mr. Biden, and Mr. Obama open and read Bush/Cheney briefing papers, they shake their heads and say; "I can't believe they screwed that one up so badly too."

Mr. Biden's role has probably not been well defined because there are so many pending disasters on balanced on the brink that he is being held in reserve to work to address the next Bush/Cheney debacle to boil over the edge of the pot.

[steamboat]

01:48 PM on 11/26/2008

You are right. This is not the Cheney Administration........Biden will be more of a VP that we've seen in the past....Make a few trips here and there, go to some funerals, in 2010 campaign for democratic candidates, and keep his mouth shut so he doesn't say a bunch of gaffes.

[LizM]

07:23 PM on 11/26/2008

Your comment is proof positive that the storyline on Biden, courtesy of the media and blogosphere, has been idiotic, in its entirety.

[LeBeau59741]

12:23 PM on 11/26/2008

Can't the press just accept that these men will, in all probability, be as terrific a team as they were during the campaign.

I would imagine that Mr. Biden is busy preparing for a huge move and spending time with his family, who you might remember, suffered a huge personal loss during the campaign and only now has time to really absorb and mourn the death of Mr. Biden's mother in law.