Joe Biden Gets Call (Maybe. . .) and Yells: "Where is Blinken?"

From my point of view, Senator Joe Biden is an inspiring, experienced, over-the-top smart, fast-running boss who is a handful. He wrestles with ideas. He wrestles with his team. They knock him back. He knocks them back. He gives great zinger speeches and occasionally zinger gaffes. And they all laugh it off and move forward.

Risk averse politicians and risk averse staff are under-performers in Washington. Biden and his team work hard on solutions -- and they take risks. Some times they belly-flop, and that is the kind of political hand we need to see in the Vice President's office and close to the next President of the United States at such a historically pivotal time for the nation.

Biden has a few people he's had around forever and some new additions to his insider crowd. Three of the best -- though there are more I won't mention -- are Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chief of Staff Antony Blinken, Senate Foreign Relations General Counsel Brian McKeon, and Senate Office Chief of Staff and former Biden presidential campaign director Luis Navarro.

Working Mother magazine -- the journal of record for juggling moms -- just commended Joe Biden and his staff with its "Best of Congress Award". And along with Biden's "family friendly" disposition with his office staff, he said "get out of here" to Foreign Relations Committee Chief of Staff Tony Blinken who went off to Hawaii to vacation with his family.

Blinken enjoyed the surf and sun for about two days -- and then guess what, he's back in D.C. I know that he would not be thrilled by my reporting this.

And some in the Foreign Relations Committee office in the Senate have said that I should not read anything in to his being back in Washington.

Right. . .

Something is up -- and it's very good.

The next thing I need to find out is whether Luis, Tony & Co. are heading to Springfield to show off that two day tan.

-- Steve Clemons publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note

Previously:

Wait 'Til America Gets to Know Jill Biden

Joe Biden Won't Forget the Number of Houses He Owns

Why "Radio Silence" Can be a Good Thing in VP Selection

Comments

[Old-Surveyor]

Right on. Hillery has been put on the shelf for now. But she is the top shelf. Hillery for President in 2012!

[haleywins]

Sounds like it was a "gotcha" to me.

[BannedInBoston]

Winkin and Blinkin get the nod? I thought you were making a bad pun, but no....

[MissDaphne]

I just adore Joe Biden. My original dream ticket this cycle was edwards/biden or biden/edwards,
And then I heard Barack Obama speak.
It's hard for me to believe that I am gonna get to vote for a demo ticket this year without holding my nose.
Obama/Biden 2008! Hooray!

[Lagniappe]

Its official-CNN has broken the story-BIDEN IS OBAMA"S PICK FOR VP!

[yorkie]

CNN reports that Clinton is out of running if she was ever in top end of list for veep. Biden makes most political sense of those considered who are open to it. He's PENN native,etc.wORKING CLASS ROOTS,COMMUTES DAILY HOME. Would clean wither Romney or Pawlenty's clock in veep debate. Let's hope a strong united front is shown and told aboput by the MSM in denver and that Clinton supports are in harmoney with O's team etc...!

[Doofus]

When does Obama get to say...

'Joe Biden is such an articulate and bright and clean and nice-looking guy.'

Anyway, I like the irony & I think they'd be a strong ticket, but somebody
will have to keep Senator Biden in line, running-of­f-at-the-m­outh-wise.

[Bonsage]

Really, they will be great together: collaborating on plagiarisms, or, more efficient, Biden can plagiarize and Obama can read the purloined prose off the teleprompter.

[jeg]

I dunno. I think with all the hype with Sen. Biden's gaffe-o-tron, the public will be disappointed if he doesn't launch a zinger once in awhile. They can give the "dicey" comments to Biden, and claim "oops, well, you know Joe....."

[Lou123]

Obama is making a mistake if he chooses any one in Congress right now. Congress is really hated my the American people for this recession they have caused. He sould choose someone new.

[BottomLine2008]

Weren't you the guy who kept writing that your inside sources told you Evan Bayh is the guy?

[TXSassy]

Joe Biden is McSane's/Romney's worst nightmare. I say bring it on!
Can't quite picture Wes Clark behind the Presidential Seal. View Biden's website.His military credentials are not lacking either.

[GuyFawkes]

As someone said on Hardball yesterday, Biden won't be afraid to rip the face off the other VP nominee and chew it up.

It would be nice after Leiberman/Edwards.

[Gismonda]

I would pay top dollar to see that!

[Doofus]

What 'military credentials' exactly? He has a son who's a military
lawyer, but he himself didn't serve, and he's not on any military
committees in the Senate, is he? He did vote for the Iraq War
Resolution. Does that count? What he has is extensive
foreign-relations experience, from Senate committee
work, and also Judiciary committee experience.

On the whole, an 'articulate, clean' choice, no?

I'd guess he would become the Obama administration's
defacto Sec/State while serving as VP.

[BethanylovesObama]

His son is on his way to Iraq this fall....did you miss that?

[lboucher]

No Hillary as VP no Democratic win in the fall!!

Biden is always a heart beat away from a HUGE spaeaking Gaffe that will kill the campaign.

[sociocanuck]

Cross-posting on different articles does not make copy-paste any less of a violation of HP rules, you know. Check the FAQs before attacking the messenger (me), though, please.

[RRK70]

Don't think Biden can ever catch up to McCain when it comes to gaffes

[JimR]

It's going to be a tough fight to the White House, and Joe Biden will be great at taking Republican attacks head-on and attacking them. This isn't for people with delicate sensibilities, such as yourself.

[sociocanuck]

"Hey Blinken!" almost sounds presidential. Sort of.

...Cross-reference 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights' for help getting it.

[JennyJay]

With Biden and Obama we have a perfecly balanced, yin/yang ticket. In Obama we have a sophisticated, cool, got-it-all-together guy. And Biden just the opposite, rough, ragged,
in-your-face guy. They would compliment and balance each other perfectly.
Just the right book ends for a big job.

[SeekerOne]

Nicely put.

[filmophile75]

Clark, Clark, Clark, what in the world is Obama thinking? Biden is a good man, a solid Senator, but prone to gaffes, and we need a veep who will out Military McCain, and Wes Clark is that man!! All McCain has are his long ago Military credentials, period! Wes Clark is a tough, whip smart, strong debater, and was against this insane war as a former seasoned Military Commander. This is absolutely insane to put Biden in the veep slot, and will, I fear, come back to haunt the Democratic Party. Why can we never see the forest for the trees?? Wes Clark is the veep candidate the Republicans fear most, this is beyond belief frankly, I am absolutely astonished by Biden as front runner for veep!

[UsofA]

Do you mean whip smart Wes Clark, Hillary Clinton backer?

[endbush]

I don't remember Clark as being a strong speaker. He seemed vague and he rambled. Biden grabs you and doesn't let you go.

[Querent]

You have a low threshold of astonishment. Also, you might want to sign up at your local community college for some psychology classes to clarify your concept of "insane".

[jeg]

Unfortunately, the MSM already ate Wesley Clark alive for making a perfectly valid statement... "Getting shot down and held as a POW does not qualify you to be commander-­in-chief".

I grant the Obama camp could have backed him up a bit, but apparently they felt it wasn't the right time to go after McCain's credentials. Let him use the POW card a few more times, though, and they may consider it.

[JimR]

"Astonished?"

LOL

Doesn't take much to astonish you, I guess.

[Indubio]

Biden is great in the Senate but I also think he'd make an outstanding Secretary of State. Unless Obama was willing to give him considerable authority putting him in the VP slot would be a waste of a pretty talented guy. I don;t always agree with him; in fact, I often find myself at odds with his status quo approach but the man understands government and how it works. We've had a bunch of right wing losers running government for 14 years and they made a mess of things. In two years, Democrats have started to affect repairs: Biden could help with them. I prefer Biden over any other of the people the press places on the VP short list.

[unitron]

I'd much rather keep Biden in the Senate.

Why can't Al Gore be veep candidate?

[DaveMacaray]

I'm with you on both counts. Of course, Al Gore ain't going to accept the VP nomination, no matter what. It's a case of 'been there, done that." But he'd be an asset to the administration. What about Gore as Sec. of Energy or Interior?

[jeg]

Al Gore is a Nobel Laureate. He's got better things to do than day-to-day governing.

Now, I could see him heading up a commission on alternative energy, and infrastructure planning. Heck, I think it's going to take Washington DC, or a general with a really sharp sword just to cut through the local regs on alternative power options for the local power grid (basically, where I live, you can have alternative power, or you can be on the grid-- Not both).

[LizM]

Of all the lame and outrageous reasons to deny Biden the presidency, and now the vice presidency, the "we need him in the Senate" quip is my all time personal favourite!

Why, on God's green earth and at this particular time in history of the planet, would you want to keep Biden in the senate!!! Why do you think he ran for the presidency in the first darn place!?

[nicemonster]

You forget that the Vice President is the President of the Senate. Biden would preside over Senate affairs anytime he was needed to affect business there, including casting tie-breaking votes to get legislation thru.

[JimR]

He's been there, done that.