IF THE UR HAD EVER ATTENDED THE SENATE HE MIGHT HAVE KNOWN AHEAD OF TIME:

Bickering with Biden: The tension between Barack Obama and Joe Biden was far greater than between the Palin and McCain camps. (ALLYSIA FINLEY, 1/16/10, WSJ)

According to journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann's new campaign exposé "Game Change," the tension was so great that aides kept Mr. Biden off internal conference calls and sometimes even refused to tell him calls were taking place. The authors report that Mr. Obama's aides would hold a separate call in order to "keep a tight rein on him."

Tensions between the running mates escalated after Mr. Biden told reporters on his campaign plane that he was more qualified than Mr. Obama to be president. After those remarks, the Obama camp limited Mr. Biden's access to the press and grilled new campaign staffers to ensure that they were more loyal to Mr. Obama than Mr. Biden.

When a series of Biden gaffes culminated in his assertion that an inexperienced President Obama would, "mark my words," be tested by an international crisis, Mr. Obama grumbled to campaign staffers: "How many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?"

Only every time he opens his mouth.

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 16, 2010 9:15 PM