McCain, Not Obama, Picked VP Biden

Presumptive Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama did not choose Joe Biden as his VP mate. Republican rival John McCain did. McCain made the VP choice for Obama easy even before Obama became the likely Democratic presidential pick. In May, McCain hammered Obama as being inexperienced and naïve on foreign policy issues. The tone, the tempo, and emphasis of McCain's attack were set. In the next few weeks McCain repeated the points about Obama mantra-like. He was too untested on foreign policy issues, and too inexperienced, and green to fight the terrorism battle and to be hard nosed enough on national security. Obama took heed of McCain's attack points against him.

The polls back up McCain on the claim that he's far stronger on national security. A Pew Research Center poll in June found that nearly half of Americans still say that Obama is not tough enough on national security and McCain is. Though most voters still rank the economy as their number one worry, and that supposedly works to Obama's favor. Obama's number one worry, though, is still being outflanked by McCain on the issue of national security and foreign policy concerns.

Biden's long years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee put him at the center of action and even decision making on key foreign policy matters. His centrist stance on the war, plus his age, he's 65, and elder statesman image made him the made-in-heaven choice to foil McCain's set foreign policy and national security greenhorn hit point against him.
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Obama is hardly the first recent presidential candidate deemed a neophyte, if not hopelessly far behind on the learning curve, on foreign policy and national security issues. Bush W. carried the same political albatross. He did the smart political thing and picked the older, experienced two stints Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney as his running mate. He was also a consummate party insider, who reassured party regulars that the White House would not stumble when hit with a foreign policy crisis. It did on Iraq, but at the time the perception was that it was the right move.

McCain's attacks weren't the only things Obama heeded in picking Joe. Obama took heed of history. President Bush in 2004 pounded Democratic rival John Kerry in 2004 as being soft of anti-terrorism and national security. Kerry didn't get it. He picked moderate Southern Democrat, John Edwards, as his running mate. It didn't do a thing to help Kerry burnish his credentials as a tough guy on Bush's signature issues. This time around they're not the compelling issues that scare and concern millions of voters as they did in 2004. But they're still issues that resonate with millions of voters, especially the much coveted, moderate to conservative independent voters.

Finally, Obama heeded the polls. Republicans and independents say that they want a VP who has strong national security and foreign policy credentials. Democrats say the same thing. In a July poll by the Clarus Research Group, a majority of Democrats rated foreign policy and national security just below the economy as key concerns, and that the Democratic VP should have strong credentials on both. There is more to it than that. Democrats also worried over voter perception that Obama is weak on foreign policy. This could handicap him as a one dimensional candidate, and that could spell big trouble for him at the polls.

A massive viral email stealth campaign has kicked into high gear on the internet targeting Obama on his national security toughness. It doesn't stop there. This slippery campaign also questions his patriotism. Before the West Virginia primary, a piqued Obama snapped at one reporter who questioned whether white voters in the state saw him as un-American that he was a practising Christian and that his grandfather was a World War II vet.

Biden is on the ticket soley to parry McCain's hit point that Obama is a greenhorn on foreign policy and national security. Time will tell whether Biden will be much good in doing that.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book is How the GOP Can Keep the White House, How the Democrats Can Take it Back (Middle Passage Press, August 2008).

Comments

[johnwinner]

"In May, McCain hammered Obama as being inexperienced and naïve on foreign policy issues."
No, actually that was Mr. Hutchinson, along with other Clintonistas, which of course puts Mr. Hutchinson's remarks now under a cloud of suspicion. Sorry, Mr. Hutchinson, Hillary is not #1, she's not #2, and if Clintonistas keep suggesting Obama can't win, she will be not be number anything. You people keep implying you can't forgive; I'm warning you that most Democrats will not forget. Screw this election and you have no future..

[MrUnlimited]

"McCain, not Obama, 'picked' Biden?"

Well, OBVIOUSLY. This isn't some earth shattering revelation. This is just an observation of a political reality: a person's VP pick is based on who his/her opponent is. For example, if Obama was facing Romney right now it's a safe bet that he would've picked someone else (possibly a governor to demonstrate economic competence. You might have meant well, Earl, but this is an article that didn't need to be posted.

[aidawedo]

So if and when the Obama/Biden ticket wins -- all these wise independents, republicans and democrats who want someone with "foreign policy experience"; will sleep easier at night confident that there is now a guy in the Vice Presidential seat who was responsible for the US foreign policy of maybe the last 20 years?

And... is that a good thing? Just want to understanding their thinking.

[Edmonsky]

Earl Hutchinson, your argument that John McCain was the reason Obama chose Biden as VP sounds too linear and shallow. For instance, there are many qualified Democrats with proven experience in national security and foreign policy issues. Therefore, there are other starling unique qualities Senator Obama saw in Biden that entered in the equation of his choice for VP. Furthermore, that McCain ensnared Obama for lack of gravitas on national security and foreign policy issues at this stage in the campaign betrays his poor strategic and political brinkmanship. McCain would have saved his best for the last by lying low until after the party nominations to avoid playing his cards too soon. McCain has one huge liability in his limited intellectuality as evidenced in his rigid views on issues and world views. For instance, McCain talks about winning in Iraq without recourse to independent, verifiable metrics of measure. If McCain were to be pressed to explain his understanding of winning in Iraq, his shallow views would become apparent. Political stability in Iraq is predicated on give-and-take politico-economic compromises between the three major ethnic groups. American win in Iraq is pure oxymoron.

[arthuride]

Obama's mantra that it is time for change and new ideas evaporated with his selection of Joe Biden. Biden has repeatedly said that Obama is neither fit, suited, or ready to be President. It is time to toss out the "all-thing­s-continue­-the-same" (Obama) and "let's have 4 more years of GW Bush" (McCain) and vote for Cynthia McKinney and the Green Party. As a Democrat for over 50 years, and chair of the Hardin Iowa Democrats, I endorse Cynthia McKinney (a Black woman) for President and Rosa Clemente (an Hispanic woman), and this year I will vote Green, and Obama's selection of Biden is the last straw.

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/295994
http://www.gp.org/index.php
http://votetruth08.com/
http://www.fsrn.org/content/election-unspun-july-11-green-party-candidates-profiled/2753

[Bobrobert]

:-)

If dreams could be made facts!!!!

[research]

Wouldn'e Wesley Clark have been a better choice?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/22/russian-forces-begin-pull_n_120594.html?show_comment_id=14882517#comment_14882517

[BottomLine2008]

No, Biden is on the ticket because of the reality of the world.

[donraphael]

Joe Biden brings much to the Democratic Presidential ticket, including a blue collar touch, straight talk, and Catholics. What he doesn't do that Sam Nunn might have done is help across the South and it locks Obama into his Rocky Mountain strategy. But the Biden pick offers McCain a refutation to that strategy by selecting Mitt Romney.
Mormons have significant numbers in Colorado, Nevada, and Montana, among other States in the region. My view is that Obama's positive optimistic way has much more appeal among Latter-day Saints than the sarcastic McCain. In addition McCain treated Romney with contempt during the primary and that caused considerable ill will among LDS. McCain knows this constituancy and was no doubt shaken when he barely received 50% of the primary vote in his home State of Arizona where 20% of the republican turnout were LDS. All of these McCain problems among LDS are removed if he picks Romney and he energizes a very substantial and organized group in his favor.
Karl Rove, who was raised in the heart of Mormondom, understands this and has built a ground swell for the Romney for VP idea.
But McCain must balance that against Huckabee's opposition with his group of anti-Mormon followers. So what McCain must consider is whether wins in western swing States and a likely upset in Michigan where the Romney name is revered would cost him any southern States. Seems unlikely now.

[CindyV]

Here's my question for the Obamatrons: If Hillary's pro-war vote is enough for you not to consider her for Veep, why is it okay for Biden? Both Biden and Hillary said that the war vote was a mistake and/or they would vote differently on it now. Biden said Obama was not experienced enough to be President--just watch McCain's new ad on TV. And Biden said Obama was "articulate" and "clean." You were vert harsh towards Hillary, why the pass on Biden?

[pacats]

He never made up stories about Bosnia or voiced an ass asin** tion fantasy. He seems grounded in real time.

[MariaHopeful]

Hillary would have brought Bill Clinton and 35 years of scandals to the ticket. There would have been three Presidents in the White House and three is just too much of a crowd.

[PennP]

First, if Obama forgives Biden his awkward characterizations and claims of inexperience, who are we to find continued offense?

Second, as pacats said, Biden didn't lie and implicitly threaten Obama.

On the war vote, Biden saw the light and worked against the war. For years, HRC carried water for GWBush on the war. She had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to the point of expressing regret over her error, and it only happened this year.

And on the experience front, HRC has less time as an elected official than Obama himself. Can you imagine the president of a country invaded by Russia soliciting her advice? I can't. She doesn't have the credentials, and everyone except the diehard HRC fans knows it. That's not a judgment, it's just fact. Biden is light years ahead of most of the candidates in terms of his strengths in this area.

We need Obama now, and Obama needs Biden. If we're lucky, they'll be running the country for the next four years. The state of New York needs a lot of help, too. HRC would do well to focus on making up the year-plus she spent largely away from the Senate, and delivering on those lofty campaign promises she made to NYS--200,000 new jobs, for starters. With Obama/Biden in office, she should be able to get that done.

[pottery]

It wasn't the war vote. It was the reality that Obama would have to govern with her and Bill for four years after the election.

And, a VP can't run for president while the sitting VP. Could she?

[justobserve]

Elections are about choosing the better one among all the candidates. No one candidate could ever have the best credential in ALL areas. McCain has NOTHING for him but national security and foreign affairs, so of course Obama has to pick someone with real strong credentials in such areas to complement Obama's own strength.

[PumaAnn]

I agree that his weakness on issues and national security is why Biden was the obvious pick. The war vote, which he made hay on in the primary, isn't really much of an issue. Bayh wouldn't have been strong enough. Kaine would have been another unknown. And we all know that Hill wasn't even considered.

[pottery]

Kennedy says she was considered, "vetting' process aside. But I agree that Clinton would have shown Obama to be really, really brave.

[Leafs16]

That's okay. Obama just forced McCain to hang Romney around his neck like a piece of kryptonite.

Obama/Biden '08!