Joe Biden

[clintl]

As Kerry continues to demonstrate his lack of campaign skills, I was thinking yesterday about who I wish had run for the Democratic nomination, but didn't. For years, I had thought of Bob Kerrey as the ideal candidate, but the questions about possible war crimes in Vietnam a couple of years ago have sunk his chances forever.

And it occurred to me that the time might have been perfect for Joe Biden. He has all the foreign policy credentials that one could ask for in a presidential. He's articulate, a great orator, able to talk about complex issues in a way that doesn't minimize their complexity, but still doesn't come off as waffling like Kerry does, and has demonstrated the ability to act statesmanlike when the situation calls for it. And, he has a great deal more charisma than any of the major candidates that did run (except maybe Edwards, but he's probably Edwards' equal). I think he might have been the best possible candidate for the Democrats this year. I think, based on the way the primary season played out, he would have had a great chance of being the nominee.

The downside, of course, is that little speech plagiarism scandal that drove him out of 1988 race, but given all that has happened since, that seems like a pretty trivial transgression now.

Does anyone know why he didn't run?

[Ksyrup]

Ah, 1988...

Personally, I thought they should have given Dukakis more of a presence during the DNC. I heard that he was giving guided tours of Boston during that week - really. Apparently, anything to keep him far away from the DNC.

[Token Asian Guy]

I was under the impression that Biden would have a position as a cabinet member if Kerry wins.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm not trying to be funny, nor even disrespectful to you or him, but ... for some reason, I honestly thought the guy died about 2 years ago.

[Draft Dodger]

I thought this was going to be about Joe Budden

[CamEdwards]

Maybe he's Biden his time until 2008.


I got nuthin'.

[Leonidas]

I was never a Biden fan. He's just another typical politician to me. But I have warmed up to Bob Kerrey a lot lately. He was on Joe Scarborough's show the other night and impressed the hell out of me. He is really a class act. Scarborough treated him very respectfully, but on occassion tried to bait Kerrey into chosing sides on the whole swiftboat issue and Kerrey was very classy in the answers. His main point was it is a huge mistake for either camp to dredge up Vietnam again and this is turning into a worst case scenario for the election. He also seems to bristle at the Iraq/Vietnam comparison. ALso lots of high praise from him on John McCain. I never really liked Kerrey's political views, but he seemed like a man of genuine integrity. I could probably live with him in there, certainly much more than Biden or Kerry (one e).