The Left Anchor

I’ve had many requests for a profile of Joe Biden, and I’ve seen plenty of chatter among the talking heads about the possibility.  However, we will not be profiling Joe Biden in our VP series for the sole fact that it is virtually impossible to imagine Biden serving as a vice president.  Why would he do it?  Why would he want do to it?  The vice presidency has only one redeeming quality: it is a good platform from which to launch a presidential campaign.  Joe Biden is almost 66 years old.  Does anyone think he plans to assume office at the age of 74?  If not, then why would he accept an office that has been described as "not worth a bucket of warm spit?"  The only other reason I can see for a man of Joe Biden’s age and stature to accept the VP slot is if, as a party loyalist, he thought it would help deliver the White House (which is why I can imagine Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who is about a year older than Biden, taking such a role).  But as Senator from Delaware, Joe Biden is not positioned geographically in a way that would help put additional states in play, and his poor showing this primary season (despite some solid debate performances) doesn’t suggest he has any broad appeal nationally.  He could bring national security credentials to the ticket, but I highly doubt that Obama will choose his vice president based on that concern.  I expect to see Obama choose a younger candidate whose image and message coordinate well with Obama’s own.

Now, there are plenty of roles Biden could fill in an Obama administration that would offer him much more power than the VP slot.  And his continuing attacks on McCain certainly do demonstrate that Joe Biden is campaigning for an Obama appointment.  But that appointment is probably for Sec. of State, not vice president, and so we will profile Joe Biden next week as we begin our series on Barack Obama’s cabinet.