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23.06.2008
Biden: Duh, Sure I'd Be Veep!

Mike Kinsley famously said that a gaffe is when a politician tells the truth. If that's so, Biden made a big one yesterday: "The answer I’ve got to say is yes," he said on "Meet the Press" when asked about his willingness to be Barack Obama's running mate, breaking a rule that commands all possible veep candidates to mince around the subject of their own desirability with as much false modesty as a Jane Austen coquette. He went on:

Of course [I would say yes]. If the presidential nominee thought I could help him win — am I going to say to the first African-American candidate about to make history in the world that, 'No, I will not help you out like you want me to'? Of course . . . I'll say yes.

I tend to love Biden all the more for this kind of no-bullshit stuff, but I was a Biden fan to begin with.

--Eve Fairbanks

Posted: Monday, June 23, 2008 12:11 PM with 11 comment(s)

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basman said:

Foot in mouth disease: too bad, otherwise he's pretty good.

June 23, 2008 12:49 PM

mjhniner said:

I can't believe I'm rooting for this guy.  I'm a flip flopper and 2006 me would never vote for 2008 me.

Every time I see quotes close to his name, my jaw clenches and I read what he says with one eye open hoping that he doesn't say anything cringe-worthy.  It would be a really nerve-racking summer if Joe Biden was the veep candiate.  Imagine the debate.

June 23, 2008 12:55 PM

fseidle said:

Imagine the debate indeed. When biden opens his mouth there really is no telling what will slip out.

But hey, to me he is head and shoulders above anyone john mc cain can or will pick.

June 23, 2008 1:15 PM

miceelf said:

I like him a lot. My wife, who doesn't follow politics at all. Also likes him.

June 23, 2008 1:21 PM

ackyri said:

Is that so unique? Hillary said just about the same thing, and either way, it's cloaked in very humble language: "Oh of course, I would be honored, who wouldn't?" etc. Biden also apparently didn't get the most recent party unity memo. www.usatoday.com/.../2008-06-22-money_N.htm

June 23, 2008 1:52 PM

johnalthousecohen said:

"Imagine the debate."

We don't have to imagine what he'd be like in a presidential debate -- he just did like 20 of them in 2007, and received unanimous rave reviews from the 12 people who were paying attention.

June 23, 2008 2:29 PM

WoodyBombay said:

If McCain picks Rudy 9u11iani as his running mate, Obama's gotta go with Joe B. just to set up a sweet VP debate matchup.

June 23, 2008 2:44 PM

fougasseu said:

Biden is the perfect age. He'd be the protective older brother, not a paternal figure (e.g., Nunn). McCain has the same isssue from the other direction - he'd do better with a younger brother, like Lieberman, than a son (e.g., Pawlenty). I wonder what Cindy whipped up for John this weekend? She evidently really knows her way around the kitchen.

June 23, 2008 2:50 PM

BHLnyc said:

Eve, like you, I've been a Biden fan from Day One and would have preferred the ticket to read Biden-Obama. But Obama-Biden excites me just as much and I think he'd bring real gravitas to the match up. He's savvy, he knows his foreign policy s%#t cold and he's got the ability to be a hatchet man without being a threatening Cheney-type.

June 23, 2008 4:05 PM

cspencef said:

Of course, this could be his fiendishly clever way to avoid being offered a job he doesn't want...

June 23, 2008 7:01 PM

GoodLiberal said:

I like Biden a lot too, but I get the impression that the TNR community always have loved him.  The question is whether anyone else knows or cares much about him.  Personally, I think he'd be a good pick.  Does anyone know what the Obama-Biden personal chemistry is like?

June 24, 2008 10:23 AM