(Cross-posted from "Bayh-Bayh-Bayhden.org")
Some say Obama chose a VP already.
Well, maybe it's time to un-choose.
While this diary resembles my previous di on similar topics, there's a lot more to say:
JOE BIDEN
- Biden is a plagiarist. Even if it was 2 decades ago.
Actually, more than a plagiarist; just peep the Wik,
(look out below)
...in September 1987, the campaign ran into serious trouble when he was accused of plagiarizing a speech by Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the British Labour Party. Though Biden had correctly credited the original author in all speeches but one, the one where he failed to make mention of the originator was caught on video. Within days, it was also discovered that, while at Syracuse Law School, Biden had plagiarized a law review article in a class paper he wrote. Biden said the act was inadvertent due to his not knowing the proper rules of citation, and Biden was permitted to retake the course. Further, when questioned by a New Hampshire resident about his grades in law school Biden had claimed falsely to have graduated in the "top half" of his class, when he actually graduated 76th in a class of 85. ...
Doesn't this smell like "the old politics" in its sneakiness?
The minute Biden's chosen, the Repub meme is, "Great, Dems have some slick-talker at the top of the ticket, and an outright liar and thief at the bottom! That's Dems for ya, hellooooo John Edwards!!"
- Biden made a de facto racial slur, or close, about Obama, i.e., the "bright, articulate, and clean" one, also at Wik,
...The News Journal...columnist Harry F. Themal....goes on to quote Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen as saying that Biden's candidacy might be endangered by his "manic-obsessive running of the mouth." This foreshadowed Biden's embarrassing gaffe when he commented on fellow Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama. Biden was quoted on January 31, 2007 as saying: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, I mean, that's a storybook, man." His comments took second place on Time Magazine's list of Top 10 Campaign Gaffes for 2007. ...
- No military experience.
- Etc. (Voted to invade Iraq; MBNA luv; etc.)
I don't care if Biden says he's "not the guy"; I want to see that actually happen, his not-the-guy-ness.
EVAN BAYH
- Hard to distinguish from Hillary Clinton. (See Wik re his voting to invade Iraq, etc.)
- Wife Susan does interesting corporate stuff.
- No military experience.
TIM KAINE
- Name is too much like that of Obama rival John McCain.
- "Against death penalty", except in practice; leading to "moral consistency" questions.
- No military experience.
Especially after being sandbagged at Saddleback, I think Obama is in trouble, campaignwise. If he wants more trouble, he can choose one of the three happy boys above; but why would he want to do that??