Vice President

As you probably know, Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden as his running mate. I see this as a strategy blunder on Obama's part. I say that primarily because selecting someone with Biden's long experience in congress does not fit well with Obama's strategy. Obama's campaign is built around the themee of change, which is basically a way to try to make Obama's lack of political experience look like a benefit (because he is not a political insider). Choosing a running mate who is very much a political insider seems counter to his strategy. In fact, it might lead some voters to wonder if things would be better off if Biden was running for president with Obama as his vice president.

Beyong the campaign strategy, does Biden bring any embarassment to Obama's campaign? Lets look at what Biden said about Barack Obama:
"I think he can be ready but right now, I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training."
That does not sound like he has a lot of faith in Obama's ability to lead.

On the other hand, what does Biden think about Obama's opponent (John McCain)
"I would be honored to run with or against John McCain, because I think the country would be better off."

So the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate does not think that Obama has enough experience to be president, but he thinks that the Republican candidate would be good for the country? Great choice Obama!

What do you think about the selection of Biden?

Now to the other side of the aisle. Who do you think John McCain will and should pick? I would like to see someone different, young and charismatic, or otherwise interesting. Obama has the John Kennedy type appeal of youth and being a powerful speaker. McCain needs someone to counter that. Someone like Bobby Jindal might be a good choice, so that the Republican ticket does not look like two old white guys. Another interesting one (for different reasons of course) is Joe Lieberman. Yes, he is a democrat, and no I don't agree with Lieberman on several issues, but he would really help McCain pull in the middle voters in a way that most Republican candidates would not. He is one of the few Democrats that understands the importance of the war on terror. While it pains me that Lieberman is pro-choice, I think that a McCain-Lieberman ticket would win the election by a large margin, as many conservative Democrats would end up voting for McCain. Please John make a good choice, don't screw up this important decision like Obama did!