And so it is Biden

I will be the first to admit that Joe Biden is not my favorite politician. He voted for the Iraq War, he been in Washington since forever, and rightfully deserves the title of “the Senator from MBNA” for his slavish devotion to the credit card industry. He has a reputation for being a bit of a blowhard and to shoot from the hip. Last but not least, this is a pick that is not exactly going to fire up voters to race to the polls. I don’t know of anyone who is going to be inspired by the prospect of Vice President Biden. With that said, there are some pretty good reasons for choose him.

He is a foreign policy guru, respected by just about everyone for his prowess and knowledge in the field. That alone adds some serious policy experience and weight to the ticket. When he can reign in his windbag tendencies, Biden is actually a solid orator with a commanding presence and he can think on his feet. He is, with the exception of his consumer protection positions, reliably liberal. But I think the best reason for his selection is that Joe Biden is tougher then shoe leather and he knows how to throw a punch. He will take no shit from anyone. One of the knocks against the otherwise excellent Obama campaign has been its unwillingness to go after McCain hard. With McCain’s recent blunder regarding his inability to recall the number of homes he owns, that seems to have changed a bit but with the addition of Biden, the Obama camp is going to really start throwing some elbows. That can only be regarded as a positive development.

So in total, I am not thrilled with Obama’s choice but I certainly understand it and Obama/Biden is absolutely a ticket I can support.