Joe Biden is a most familiar politician. He has been in national politics since Richard Nixon was in the White House and is one of the more prominent members of the United States Senate. He chairs the foreign relation committee and is a frequent guest on television political talk shows.
Yes, we all have an idea who Joe Biden is, warts and all. The result is a Democratic ticket that now seems more, well, regular.
Biden clearly shores up Obama’s perceived weakness on the foreign policy front and presumably will be expected to shield Obama from the anticipated verbal incoming from the McCain camp on matters pertaining to America’s place in the world.
We know one thing. Joe Biden will not be at a loss for words no matter how heated the debate becomes.
Biden is familiar to Irish Americans for his interest over the years in issues related to Northern Ireland. He frequently acted in concert with colleagues such as Ted Kennedy and Chris Dodd, who, like Biden, was an Irish American legislator who was on Obama’s vice presidential list, though apparently the long as opposed to the short version.
Biden’s life story makes for a compelling tale. And that life story has suddenly taken quite a turn. Where it will ultimately lead will be up to voters.
Meanwhile, John McCain is expected to announce his ticket partner on Friday, which happens to be his 72nd birthday. There are a number of potential GOP figures who are paying extra special attention this week to the quality of the birthday card they are buying for the Arizona senator.
Unlike Biden, who was tipped along with just two other Democrats as Obama’s decision came down the wire, there seems to be a bigger question mark over who the Republican vice presidential candidate will be.
An interesting question might be whether or not McCain has been keeping his cards close to his chest because he wanted to see who Obama chose as a running mate. Well now he knows. And with regard to McCain’s ultimate choice, we’ll know soon enough.