Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Biden Exit Coming Soon?


Sen. Joe Biden told a New Hampshire audience today that Sen. Hillary Clinton would have probably made a better vice presidential choice than him. Biden said:


Make no mistake about this," Biden responded. "Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Let’s get that straight. She’s a truly close personal friend, she is qualified to be president of the United States of America, she’s easily qualified to be vice president of the United States of America and quite frankly it might have been a better pick than me. But she’s first rate, I mean that sincerely, she’s first rate, so let’s get that straight."

The McCain campaign has fun with Biden's comment: "Barack Obama’s most important decision of this election and Biden - the candidate he selects - suggests himself that he wasn’t the right man for the job and that Hillary Clinton would have been a better choice. Biden certainly has a credible viewpoint on this." Like I said last week, keep an eye on Joe. Gary Varvel's latest cartoon above from the Star says it all.

10 comments:

Covenant60 said...

No matter how the Dems try to engineer Biden's exit so as to try to avoid the impression that he is being dumped....

I have to think that it will be obvious to all that he is being tossed overboard for political reasons.

And I wonder if that would be devastating to Obama's candidacy much as it was to McGovern's in 1972.

Even if Hillary replaces Biden.

I would think that by the time that would happen, Palin will have had another successful rollout (beginning this Friday on 20/20), and Hillary would be standing at the station, watching that train head down the tube.

Also, because it's Hillary, who is one of the poster children for obviously crass political calculation, Obama's true nature as a typical Dem politician will be laid bare for even more to see.

I just don't see how Obama can make the calculation that dumping Biden for anyone else would do anything but bury him.

Vox Populi said...

What it shows is that John McCain made an electoral choice, and Barack Obama made a governing choice. Hillary would have been an electoral choice, helping Obama crush McCain in the election but stabbing him in the back in office with her eyes on a future run.

Obama knew both Hillary and Biden well enough to know how he would get along with them in a governing capacity, and went with his heart. McCain had only met Palin twice and went with what was politically expedient.

bobisimo said...

How much of an impact does a Hillary return have on the election? I can't imagine - with all the speculation about Palin attracting Hillary voters and swinging the numbers in McCain's favor - this being a good thing for the Republicans. At all.

artfuggins said...

You wish!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey guys.. put down the pipe and stop smoking the wacky stuff. Don't you have a doll to stick pins into??

Shofar said...

Unless her ego gets to her, I cannot see Hill joining the BO team if they dump Amtrak Joe.

Hillary wants a clean shot at the WH. She will not be content with living at Number One Observatory Circle. She wants back in 1600 Penn.

Biden's exit would be easy to orchestrate. Twenty years ago, at age 45, he had two aneurysms (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,409941,00.html). The pressures of the campaign, along with the problems his son and brother are having legally (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/23/AR2008082302200.html?dbk) would be enough to push anyone with such a health risk over the top. His health could be used as the excuse to go back to playing conductor on the Metorliner.

If that happens, and Hill bows out for '08, then it is anyone's guess as to who will be the pick. It is interesting to note that Intrade has Palin dropping out at 4.9, but Biden is 9.9, up 5.9 points.

This is really getting to be fun now.

artfuggins said...

For many months Intrade ahd Hillary as the overwhelming favorite to get the nomination. So much for credibility.

Chris Worden said...

I agree with Shofar, if I were Hillary, I'd rather take on McCain four years from now than serve as a second chair to Senator Obama. Also, AI picks runs some conspiratorial stuff, but it's juicy fun to contemplate, isnt it?

Covenant60 said...

An extremely tepid endorsement by Bill Clinton today, by the way.

As soon as he is done with work on the Clinton Global Initiative, he'll get right to work helping Obama.

And Hillary has been doing nothing more than the minimum lip service.

It appears to me that the Clintons, by their inaction on behalf of Obama, are sending a signal that it is OK with them if Obama loses this election.

Anonymous said...

Uhm, how did Gov. Sarah do last night with Charlie Gibson, Gary? I didn't see the whole interview. I believe I read some stuff on NATO, Russia and the Bush Doctrine. I was waiting for your take on things.