The VP Lotto: Joe Biden

After spending most of the summer out-shined by newer and more buzz-worthy contenders such as Tim Kaine and Kathleen Sebelius, Delaware Senator Joe Biden has suddenly become the Veep du jour in a contest that's just about over. The media narrative seems to have at last coalesced around his candidacy, and the timing couldn't be better. There is a lot of suspicion in the smart crowd that he's going to be the pick, and that it's going to come down early this week, and his weekend trip to Georgia to avert a new Cold War isn't quieting any of it down. So, before he gets picked and I look stupid for profiling nobody Tim Kaine before him, let's do Joe Biden.

Biden would bring a tremendous amount of experience to the ticket, having served continuously since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1973 at the age of thirty. He has served as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and currently serves as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is also Chairman of the Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, as well as a co-chairman of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control. His long experience in Washington lends him considerable credibility on questions of crime and foreign policy, two weak areas for Democrats generally and Obama specifically.

Very few people have as encyclopedic a grasp on world affairs as Biden does, and he would be able to wield this to considerable advantage both as a surrogate and during the October 2nd VP debate. On that note, Biden is a terrific debater and energetic campaigner, connecting well with the type of blue-collar Democrats that give Obama difficulty. He is also a passionate and skilled orator who would produce a ticket that is both inspired and inspiring. But the man is not without his downsides and flaws.

With his 35 year career in Washington, Biden is representative of the "same-old, same-old" that Obama has crafted his message to oppose, and it would be difficult to select him without looking beholden to the Democratic status-quo. Biden's initial support of the Iraq War doesn't help, nor does the fact that he argued against both the Surge and withdrawal, opting instead for a "federal" partition plan that has since lost favor in the Foreign Affairs world.

Biden also brings baggage with him, something the other candidates largely avoid. His 1988 Presidential Race was brought low by allegations (only mostly false) of plagiarism, and his political career has frequently been marred by uncontrollable gaffe-producing that is both a result of his cleverness and candor, and a result of how much he thinks of his cleverness and candor. Joe Biden loves Joe Biden, and a ticket with both Obama and Biden might look a little to rarefied for the average American.

Despite these limitations and liabilities, Biden's advantages might well outweigh the risks he carries, as well as the risks of his fellow shortlisters. He is currently the media favorite for the nomination, and in the last week has seen his stock double on the Intrade network, but my money is still on Bayh. Either way, we'll all know very, very soon.