UNEASY LIES THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE CROWN:

Biden is no threat to Obama - but no asset:
In rejecting Hillary Clinton for a politician with a murky record, the presidential candidate may have lost the White House (William Rees-Mogg, 8/25/08, Times of London)

Joe Biden has one crucial qualification to be the next vice-president of the United States, at least in the eyes of Barack Obama. He is not Hillary Clinton. Mr Obama has made the opposite decision to the one made by another young and relatively inexperienced Senator in 1960. John F.Kennedy distrusted and detested Lyndon Johnson, but he asked him to become his running- mate in the election because he thought that Johnson would help to deliver the Texas vote. He did, and Texas was one of the key states that took Kennedy into the White House.

Senator Biden is no Hillary Clinton; he presents no threat though little promise to Mr Obama. In the primary elections, Mrs Clinton gained 18 million votes. Among women she had a devoted following - and who still believe she should have been the candidate. If she had been on the ticket, she would have brought a lot of votes with her, as did Johnson. In rejecting her as his running-mate, Mr Obama has taken the risk that his margin of victory might be wiped out.

Mr Biden has himself twice run unsuccessfully for the presidency; in 1987 he had to withdraw before the primaries; in 2008 he failed to generate any interest in the Iowa caucuses or in New Hampshire. He has a strong record for winning votes as a senator in Delaware. There is no evidence he can win votes in a national election.

You used to hear people say that Richard Nixon chose first Spiro Agnew and then Gerald Ford precisely because no one would want them as president, thus securing his own power. The Unicorn Rider's choice of Joe Biden seems similarly driven by personal insecurity.

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 25, 2008 8:14 AM