[DC is abuzz with talk of Joe Biden for vice president today. Rather than just repeat myself on why I think that's a good idea, I'm just going to republish this post explaining why I think it's a good idea. The only thing I'd really add is that in the months since I wrote it -- it was originally a June posting -- Obama has shown himself more, not less, in need of an attack dog able to engage McCain on national security.]EJ Dionne's column arguing that Joe Biden should be considered for Obama's VP slot makes a lot of sense. Biden is, arguably, the most effective voice Democrats have on foreign policy. And here's why: Joe Biden is an incredibly arrogant jerk. And that's exactly what Democrats need.Over the years, Biden has gotten some things right and some things wrong. He's been a mainstream liberal on domestic policy, on foreign policy, on judges, on just about everything. Along with Richard Lugar, he pushed a compromise bill that would've slowed the president's rush to war in Iraq, and maybe derailed it entirely. But if Biden sought to outmaneuver the president, he didn't simply oppose him outright. Since then, however, he's been considerably more outspoken, and has pushed some smartly strategic approaches, including calling for the repeal of the 2002 Iraq War Resolution. "We gave the president that power to destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and, if necessary, to depose Saddam Hussein. The WMD were not there. Saddam Hussein is no longer there. The 2002 authorization is no longer relevant to the situation in Iraq...[We need a resolution that] makes clear what the mission of our troops is."In the 2008 election, he was the only Democrat who really figured out how to talk about Republicans and foreign policy. All the other candidates on the stage started from the presumption that Republicans were strong on national security, and voters needed to be convinced of their failures and then led to a place of support for a Democratic alternative. Biden dispensed with all that. He started from the position that Republicans had been catastrophic failures on foreign policy, and their ongoing claims to competence and leadership should be laughed at, and even mocked. VEEPSTAKES: THE CASE FOR BIDEN.
[DC is abuzz with talk of Joe Biden for vice president today. Rather than just repeat myself on why I think that's a good idea, I'm just going to republish this post explaining why I think it's a good idea. The only thing I'd really add is that in the months since I wrote it -- it was originally a June posting -- Obama has shown himself more, not less, in need of an attack dog able to engage McCain on national security.]EJ Dionne's column arguing that Joe Biden should be considered for Obama's VP slot makes a lot of sense. Biden is, arguably, the most effective voice Democrats have on foreign policy. And here's why: Joe Biden is an incredibly arrogant jerk. And that's exactly what Democrats need.Over the years, Biden has gotten some things right and some things wrong. He's been a mainstream liberal on domestic policy, on foreign policy, on judges, on just about everything. Along with Richard Lugar, he pushed a compromise bill that would've slowed the president's rush to war in Iraq, and maybe derailed it entirely. But if Biden sought to outmaneuver the president, he didn't simply oppose him outright. Since then, however, he's been considerably more outspoken, and has pushed some smartly strategic approaches, including calling for the repeal of the 2002 Iraq War Resolution. "We gave the president that power to destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and, if necessary, to depose Saddam Hussein. The WMD were not there. Saddam Hussein is no longer there. The 2002 authorization is no longer relevant to the situation in Iraq...[We need a resolution that] makes clear what the mission of our troops is."In the 2008 election, he was the only Democrat who really figured out how to talk about Republicans and foreign policy. All the other candidates on the stage started from the presumption that Republicans were strong on national security, and voters needed to be convinced of their failures and then led to a place of support for a Democratic alternative. Biden dispensed with all that. He started from the position that Republicans had been catastrophic failures on foreign policy, and their ongoing claims to competence and leadership should be laughed at, and even mocked. 
