Obama Picks Biden As VP

Barack Obama announced via an early-morning text message that Senator Joe Biden will be his running mate. What do you think?

Mark Crook,
Systems Analyst
“Really? Biden is the ultimate Washington insider. Obama should’ve picked somebody who knows absolutely nothing about politics.”

Kari Brecht,
Theologist
“That’s some smart thinking. Biden should poll very well good with mainstream blacks who are articulate.”

Bob Postol,
Environmental Consultant
“Cool! Biden is from where my credit card’s from.”

Today’s photo of the day shows the 2008 United States Men’s Basketball team, which won the gold medal this weekend.

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Today’s video of the day comes from Springfield, IL, where Barack Obama and Joe Biden made their first appearance together as running mates. Thoughts on Biden’s speech?

Today’s video of the day comes from The O’Reilly Factor, where I “discussed” the role of patriotism in the current presidential election.

With the convention a few days away, Barack Obama has finally decided on his vice-presidential pick and will make his announcement any day now. Here’s my take on the finalists:

Evan Bayh: To be sure, Bayh is a safe and smart pick. As a centrist, Bayh will do nothing to bolster the absurd GOP arguments that Obama is a radical leftist. Also, at 52-years-old, Bayh is young enough not tarnish Obama’s pro-change anti-Washington brand. Unfortunately, Bayh is a little too boring to be Obama’s wingman. More importantly, his role as a national co-chair of the Clinton campaign will raise some serious trust issues for Obama. Bottom line: Ain’t gonna happen.

Tim Kaine: If you’re Barack Obama there are lots of reasons to choose Tim Kaine: executive experience, religious faith (Catholic!), Washington outsider status, political savvy. In addition, Kaine has the potential of delivering Virginia, which could be the difference between victory and defeat in November. The only problem with Kaine is that he does nothing to help Obama on the foreign policy front, an issue that has begun to affect his polling numbers.

Joe Biden: From the beginning, I have said that this was the best pick. Biden brings experience, foreign policy credentials, and charisma (not that it’s lacking) to the ticket. Also, as Melissa and I mentioned before, choosing Biden after the whole “articulate” fiasco would show White voters that he’s above “petty racial politics.” Given the extraordinary role that race has played throughout this election year, such symbolism cannot be overestimated. I may be wrong, but I’m going to stick with Biden as the choice.