When John Kerry tabbed John Edwards as his running mate in 2004, certain members of the pundit class swooned. They figured Edwards' immense political skills would dramatically bolster Kerry's chances. Me, I was perplexed. If John Edwards was in fact such a magnificent political talent, how come he had just lost a race to John Kerry? As law school lecturers like Barack Obama like to say, "Res ipsa loquitur." Unsurprisingly, Edwards went on to serve as a lackluster running mate. If you don't believe me on that score, I encourage you to check out Bob Shrum's catty, tell-all memoir.
Now it's Joe Biden's skills that are being unjustly lionized by the gullible among us. The Politico reports:
Democrat Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden as a running mate is complicating Republican John McCain's analysis of his prospective vice presidential contenders.
Biden will make his formal debut Wednesday with a primetime address. McCain is expected to announce his pick after Obama accepts his nomination here on Thursday.
Some insiders are pressing McCain to make a strategic selection, one that beefs up his economic strength, enhances his chance to grab a state or amps up the partisan firepower.
"McCain knows Biden well. He knows how good he is as a knife fighter. He'll take McCain apart," said one Republican operative.
But a review of the much-rumored McCain shortlist clearly exposes the weaknesses each person on it might bring if matched up against the six-term senator from Delaware.
If Biden is such a gifted political knife fighter, how come he got less than 1% of the vote in the Iowa caucuses, a result that chased him from the race? True, he did better than Dennis Kucinich, but has that become our gold standard for campaigning excellence?
Biden is a lackluster choice because he is a lackluster politician. His defenders will of course point to his 36 years in the senate as a selling point, but what good is experience if it doesn't beget insight? Biden's plan for partitioning Iraq remains the single most cockamamie contribution to the Iraq war debate over the past five years. And that's no small accomplishment.
But please - no one in the media should allow my negativity to alter their narrative of Biden as a political Ubermensch. America should expect a veritable Cicero when the garrulous gaffe machine takes the stage tonight. And woe to the poor Republican who has to debate this formidable figure with the nation watching this Fall.
