“I said I liked Biden because I do. I think he'd be a great president because he can critique Bush on foreign policy while still outlining a vision that deals realistically with the issues we face in the world, and does not shy from unpleasant realities many on the left of center would prefer to ignore.”
Gatemouth on “Daily Politics” July 8, 2006
“I'm a Clinton Democrat, but originally was "anyone but Hillary" because I thought she wasn't electable. I was hoping Gore would run on grounds of both electability and policy. Barring that, I preferred Edwards–but only on electability. On policy and gravitas, I liked Biden (Richardson almost qualified, but seemed too much a loose cannon–which is saying a lot when you are comparing someone to Biden)”
Gatemouth on “Room 8” May 15, 2008
The selection of Delaware Senator Joe Biden, a personal favorite of mine, despite the occasional bit of slight social conservatism (and probably not despite the habit we share of sometimes shooting from the lip and asking questions later, as well our environmentally conscious lack of reluctance about recycling a good anecdote) cast a bright light on the question of perception versus reality.
The perception that Barack Obama lacks experience in foreign policy and national security has its element of truth, while the perception of some that Obama lacks gravitas on the world stage seems disproven by the response of both world leaders (some of whom took the occasion to make surprise endorsements of Obama‘s policies) and the world public to his trip to Europe and the Middle East.
Yet somehow, It is John McCain, struggling with his Wikipedia derived talking points as he dodderingly mangles the name and status of another Eastern European country or Central Asian leader, who is deemed to have the knowledge and steady hand to lead us into another century whose existence he can barely bring himself to recognize. How can this man respond to the ever changing realities of a dangerous world, when with every new challenge he looks as someone had just stuck a firehouse in his brain cavity and filled it to overflowing?
While I do find it refreshing to find a politician who’s certain of what he believes in (at least on world issues—on most domestic policy matters, McCain is virtually a fictional character, combining the apathy of Zonker Harris with the emptiness of Chauncey Gardner, while embracing Sam Rayburn’s famous dictate to get along by going along, usually with the far right), it would be nice if once in a while those beliefs were allowed to be impacted by the facts on the ground; but McCain’s ability to embrace new realities is at best a love pure and chaste from afar.
By contrast, Joe Biden has both a sense of the history he’s lived and learned and the ability to engage the world we actually live in. More importantly, that world is ready, willing and able to engage him. In November, when there was a crisis in Pakistan, the first call made by both opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf was not to Dubya, but to Biden (my guess is both knew that Biden, unlike Bush, would recognize their names). Biden advised Musharraf to increase Bhutto’s security, a request that, if complied with, might have ensured the continuance of two political careers which both have since come to an end.
Similarly, when the Russians invaded Georgia, It was Joe Biden who Georgian President Saakshvili called to come visit his ailing nation.
For world leaders across the globe, Joe Biden is the American foreign policy equivalent of Ghostbusters–he is who you gonna call.
In politics, Biden is a great gunslinger, he’s never reluctant to go to war, if war is what is called for. I can’t wait to hear his response to Rudy “a noun, a verb and 9/11“ Giuliani’s keynote address.
By contrast, in international affairs, Biden brings the ideal credentials: a willingness to fight, if necessary, and the ability to figure out and implement strategies to ensure that we won’t have to.
With any luck, in the next administration, he’ll play a sane version of Dick Cheney, to Obama’s smart version of Dubya.