This puff piece in the Washington Post sure makes the president look good. The article by Ceci Connolly suggests that while almost everyone ruled out a Democratic health care victory (including Pelosi and Reid), Obama's perseverance and sheer will saved America. Yet the article, clearly sourced by White House staffers working to make their boss look good, does raise a question about the inner-workings of the Obama administration: Where has Vice President Biden been?
Connolly's piece means to show the politicking behind the closed doors of the most transparent government ever. But when the president met with congressional leaders after Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts to talk about the way forward for congressional legislation on health care, he shared the desk with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Indeed, according to the article, whenever the president talks Hill health care strategy, Biden is not present. (The only time Biden does make an appearance is to whip Democrats at a White House reception, but it seems that many other White House staffers are also on hand.)
Joe Biden was a senator from Delaware for 36 years. He was chairman/ranking member of Senate Judiciary Committee, before being chairman/ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The man knows Capitol Hill. Or, at least, he should.
After today's embarrassing moment at the health care signing ceremony, I cannot help thinking that the only benefit this vice president lends to the administration is there will always be one person who makes the president look good by comparison.
There's good reason that folks call Biden the "Great Commuter."
