It's Biden

I was watching the mind-numbing four o'clock hour of the last day of the Olympics when an Oliver Willis Tweet alerted me to the decision that those of us who watch the news could probably already knew:

Mr. Obama’s selection ended a two-month search that was conducted almost entirely in secret. It reflected a critical strategic choice by Mr. Obama: To go with a running-mate who could reassure voters about gaps in his resume, rather than to pick someone who could deliver a state or reinforce Mr. Obama’s message of change.

I don't claim to know much about vice presidential politics. But I think those of us smart enough to want Obama in the White House can see that his choice of Biden reaffirms the man's belief in his platform to bring change to America, as well as the confidence that he will win. Presidential candidates might sometimes choose a running mate based solely on the presumption that it would help him carry a state he might have trouble winning. In this case it would have been Delaware. But Obama already had Delaware and so made his choice based on the credentials and knowledge of the man himself.

So who is Biden? I have a very small idea. In an op-ed for the NY Times, David Brooks offers some biographical information to point out why Biden would be the right choice. He even mentions Biden's penchant for saying the wrong thing:

But that won’t hurt all that much because voters are smart enough to forgive the genuine flaws of genuine people. And over the long haul, Biden provides what Obama needs.

And the other day, I caught The New Republic's own push for the choice, where it offered the video (below the quote) showing Biden's style:

The clips below, from an MSNBC debate during the primaries, provide a really good sense of Biden's style. He's aggressive, passionate, and usually very effective. Even nuanced answers come out with force and emotion. (See, in particular, his answer to the question of whether he'll let Iran get a nuclear weapon.) Of course, you get the feeling that he's always on the edge of saying something imprudent. Like I said above, if Biden is the choice, the Obama communications staff will have many anxious moments.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuOkXgZqofA&color1=11645361&color2=13619151&hl=en&fs=1]

I can't wait to read the fallout. And I can't wait till Biden verbally rips his counterpart to pieces during the debate on October 2 in St. Louis.