The traditional line on a presidential candidate is that his vice presidential pick is the first executive decision he has to make. In the case of V.P. Joe Biden, Pres. Obama has made the same bad choice three times – first during the 2008 campaign, then putting him in charge of stimulus oversight, and finally in keeping him on the ticket for a prospective second term.
The number of embarrassing statements by Biden on the campaign trail led the White House to quash rumors that he might be replaced on the ticket.
Pres. Obama could, if he chose, ask Biden to step aside. Instead, we’re going to see more of the Veep opening his mouth to change feet, at least for the next three months.
As Hugh Hewitt said on the radio, “A’s pick A’s. B’s pick C’s.”
Mitt Romney’s pick of Paul Ryan as V.P. places the GOP ticket in the first category. As for Pres. Obama and V.P. Biden, draw your own conclusions. In the past week, Biden has…
- Told a largely black audience that Romney’s going to “put y’all back in chains“
- Forgotten what state he was in
- Forgotten what century he was in
This only exacerbated the image of Biden as being somewhat past his prime, one that developed during the 2008 campaign when he…
- Said that it all came down to “a three-letter word: Jobs, J-O-B-S, Jobs”
- Asked a man in a wheelchair to stand up
- Claimed that in 1929, FDR had gone on TV to explain the financial crisis to Americans
Now, back in the heady days of Hope and Change of February 2009, when Pres. Obama presented his economic recovery plan in a Congressional address, he sought to assuage the country’s fears surrounding such a large federal spending program:
“I know there are some here in this chamber, and watching at home, who are skeptical of whether this plan will work. And I understand that skepticism. Here in Washington, we’ve all seen how quickly good intentions can turn into broken promises, and wasteful spending. With a plan of this scale comes enormous responsibility to get it right.
And that’s why I’ve asked Vice President Biden to lead a tough, unprecedented oversight effort. Because nobody messes with Joe.”
“I have told each of my cabinet, as well as mayors and governors across the country, that they will be held accountable by me and the American people for every dollar they spend. I’ve appointed a proven and aggressive Inspector General to ferret out any and all cases of waste and fraud.”
That’s right: Joe Biden was in charge of the oversight effort. Maybe that explains a recovery.gov website that had money going to non-existent Congressional districts and zip codes. It may also explain the general wastefulness of the effort and its lack of stimulative effect. It’s not that Biden was actively complicit in the mis-spending, it’s just that, they probably did it when he wasn’t looking.
