Saturday, August 23, 2008

Obaden/Bibama

I've done a complete 180 on Joe Biden today. Whether you like him or not, he's the right pick. It just goes to show that we were smart in nominating Barack in the first place - if it were up to me (thankfully it's not), I'd probably not have picked Biden. How wrong I think I would have been.

The debut is here -- it's about half hour. I suggest watching Barack's intro and as much of Biden's speech as you can. You don't really need to watch the last 5-7 minutes, it's just pumping the crowd stuff. But elsewhere Biden hits all of the attack points we've been waiting for, as well as talking about American roots & values. It's a good speech.

If that doesn't convince you, here's some historical stuff from the primary campaign trail, conveniently provided by HuffPo. I have to say, I recall Joe Biden being one of my favorite politicians about a decade ago. I had drifted away from him slowly, largely because of his first vote on Iraq and his vote on the bankruptcy bill. But these speeches and clips remind me of why I liked Biden in the first place.

This piece by Steve Benen captures largely how I feel. Essentially it says "I never thought Biden would be picked but am glad he was. He's experienced, thoughtful, and knows how to deliver an incisive blow."

Today, it's time to get behind the team. Biden's a smart choice, and in an odd way, not the most conventional one for Barack America. (Watch the speech). I think it's a winning ticket.

Cheers,

p.s. Yes, I know Biden supports the expansion of NATO. Apparently so does everyone else, so I seem to be out of luck on that one.

2 comments:

Messenger said...

I don't feel Obama's judgment is infallible. That said, having cut General Clark's feet out from under him, Barrack chose the best man left standing.

Valley Dude said...

Messenger, yes I would have been excited about Clark too, but I think Biden's got the chops to be VP. I wasn't saying BO's judgment is infallible, I was saying it's better than mine :-)