It was supposed to be self-deprecating, but like all jokes, it had a kernel of truth to it. Joe Biden plaintively observed at the Governors' meeting in Philadelphia on Tuesday that "Since the race is over, no one pays attention to me at all." Forget Barack Obama's cabinet picks on foreign policy. They're not the problem. Giving Biden the shaft is.
Perhaps Obama has a role in mind for Biden. But so far, there's no evidence that he does. Instead, Biden appears to be relegated back to the old, passive role of stand-in for the president. George H.W. Bush became famous for attending funerals on Ronald Reagan's behalf. Does Obama have something more planned for Biden?
Biden's wealth of experience in the Senate, where he chaired the foreign relations committee and oversaw an excellent staff, mandates that Obama tap him to play a major role in foreign policy meetings. Biden is intimately familiar with world leaders and could play a big role in repairing relations with Europe. No, he shouldn't have the kind of powers that Dick Cheney exercised. But that's not even a remote possibility given the kind of firepower that Obama has assembled in his cabinet.
Instead, Biden should have an equal voice, but he seems to be fading into the woodwork. The danger is that he'll simply serve as a decorative ornament in the Obama administration, wheeled out to help defend policies that he has played little, if any role, in devising. Maybe Obama is just biding his time on Biden. But it would be more comforting if there were clear signs that Biden will assume more than a token role.
Joe Biden is neither naive nor lacking in intellectual capital and he would not have given up his very influential and secure Senate position for the VP slot if he did not believe he would have another base of power and influence in the new administration.
Also, I think you may have read too much into Mr. Biden's comments to Gov. Palin. My take was that Biden was contrasting the Gov.'s apparent growing celebrity status with his own very substantive position as America's next VP. His sphere of influence and power has actually increased since the election. But she remains in the spotlight - which makes her appear vacuous and overly ambitious.
Judging by her comments after the governors met with Obama and Biden, Palin also understood Biden's comments that way. She said, and I'm paraphrasing now; I tried to convince the American people that governors make better Presidents because we have executive experience. Obviously, the people were not convinced. That's why we now have VP-elect Biden instead of me.
But, the state of journalism or the idiotic storyline on Biden that those who purport to practice it have produced and cultivated is not what I find most distressing today. What I find most disheartening is the number of people who so easily and uncritically buy into - hook, line and sinker - the media-conceived and driven national and multi-faceted myth of epic proportions that has plagued Biden throughout this presidential primary and election season and, indeed, through much of his distinguished career.
Of course, I am not surprised that such an inaccurate assessment of who Joe Biden is and what he is all about is so pervasive. It is entirely understandable because when the media, particularly the national press, and their precious pundits are not ignoring Biden, they are dismissing his leadership and denigrating his statesmanship by their constant misinterpretation and out-of-context reporting of his words and actions.
Still, I find it absolutely incredible that so many who know so little about Joe Biden can presume to know so much about the man. I remain hopeful, however, that during the course of the next several years more people will come to recognize, understand and appreciate the wise leadership and experienced statesmanship of Vice President Biden.
The media and blogosphere have a track record of being wholly incapable of understanding a word Senator/VP-elect Biden says - the vast majority of them are just not smart enough.
Joe Biden, on the other hand, has a long history of intelligent and insightful analyses on any number of critical national security, foreign/domestic policy and constitutional issues always infused with honesty, candor and integrity. He also has been blessed with a refreshing sense of humor, especially of the self-deprecating kind, which is also often misinterpreted by a largely lazy and incompetent media and blogosphere.
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You see, it's the people who think they are smart (and actaully have to tell people how smart tthey are) when they are no smarter than you or I, that are the most dangerous. Fortunately he will be gearing up for ceremonies and funerals and won't be any where near the situation room.
My view is that, since Rahm Emanuel has no visible foreign policy credentials and indeed has already been embarrassed in that area by comments made by his father, Biden will be the Consensu Builder and Conciliator for the outspoken and opinionated Foreign Policy team that Obama has put together. He knows and, more importantly, has worked with all of the major players over the years.
(so does my edited version make it past moderation this time??) ;o)
GHWB was the former long-term director of the CIA and still had those connections as well as his hand in other branches of the government. It's reasonable to believe that he played a role much more like
Bush's current VP does- but did it much more subtlely and competently.
It's likely his role is just not that obvious right now or doesn't come into play that much until after he actually gets into office.
He was warning those community leaders that the next President is going to inherit an extremely difficult set of challenges - a monumental mess on the scale of magnitude comparable to the “Augean stables”, no less! (A classical reference wholly lost on the media, I might add) And, tough decisions are going to have to be made - decisions that may not appear at first to be either the right decisions or very popular. But, he told the audience, those decisions would be sound decisions. In fact, he warned Obama’s supporters that popular decisions would probably NOT be sound! He was, in essence, urging and pleading with the audience to understand this and to not only stick with the President during such times but to be vocal and public about their support for him when the iron hits the fire.
Senator Biden’s message was both profound and powerful and, in the final analysis, a remarkable validation of Barack Obama and of the exceptional President that he would be. In other words, Senator Biden has your back, Barack! Sadly, based on his own comments following the press coverage of these remarks, the President-elect may not know this.
It is obvious, from the barrage of their misguided reporting, that Biden’s critics, throughout the media and blogosphere, have not even bothered to listen to his full remarks. But, truth be known, they wouldn’t have understood them anyway.
In addition to all of that, you must also know what Senator Biden actually said - words and context matter and, so far, the critics have rarely reported the comments in question accurately or completely.
Senator Biden has a long history of studying how the international community - friend and foe, alike - respond to new American leaders. He was pretty much guaranteeing that there would be an international crisis of some sort, possibly emanating from any number of hot spots around the globe, within the first six months of an Obama/Biden administration - of ANY administration, to be sure, but...remember the audience!
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