The picture of then-Senator, Joe Biden with coffee pot in hand has been consistently posted along with a quote for many mornings within Kula's Morning Reaction series. It is what prompted the origin of this series to focus upon the transitions and daily activities of the other Executive Office holder: Vice President-Elect, Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.
Today's Menu Specials:
- Imagine, "Dick, this is Joe. You're in his chair."
- Officer Biden asks, "Do you know how fast you were going?"
- Month-old interview with Joe Biden is very telling.
As always (just over the bump), I start you off with a quote from The Gentleman to mull over with your morning Joe.
20 OCTOBER 2008 --
Stated during an interview with The New Yorker magazine:
"I have never ever, ever screwed another senator."
-- Vice President-Elect, Joe Biden
::::: COCKTAILS :::::
My State's largest paper The Oregonian ran a great Op-Ed. from one of my favorite local columnists, David Sarasohn.
Worth the read while I get the food ready.
The only way Biden's Catholicism, like Kerry's, ever became an issue was by church leaders complaining he wasn't Catholic enough. John F. Kennedy could not have imagined facing that issue.
::::: APPETIZER :::::
Today will mark the first meeting since the 4 November election between Vice President, Dick Cheney, and Vice President-elect, Joe Biden. The Washington Post briefly reports that the details of their encounter are to be similar to those shared between President Bush and President-elect Obama on Monday.
The session is scheduled to take place late tomorrow afternoon at the vice president's residence at the Naval Observatory. The two men are to be joined by their wives, Jill Biden and Lynne Cheney. Besides the meeting, the vice president-elect and his wife are scheduled to take a tour of their new digs.
Good thing I wrote about the Admiral's House before today. Otherwise we'd all be in a dither.
Fortunately for Joe, it's not duck hunting season in D.C.
::::: MAIN COURSE :::::
We've all read the speculations about Veep-elect Biden's new role to be that of "Good Cop" to Obama Chief of Staff, Rohm Emanuel's, "Bad Cop". What I particularly liked about this write up by Politico was how it got away from the focus on Mr. Biden's "gaffe-prone" rhetoric or attempts to marginalize him a potential determent from an Obama Administration appointed Secretary of State (something that Mr. Biden mentions in the article as an unfortunate consequence in the case of Lyndon Johnson -- V.P. to J.F.K.)
The article goes right to what Joe Biden has done best for 36 years and created a role unseen for nearly a decade: The inter-party diplomat. That was Vice President Al Gore's forté and it may become Mr. Biden's as well.
Mr. Gore's ability to talk with Congressmen and Senators alike stemmed from his time spent in both houses of Congress himself (as Tennessee's 4th District Rep. from 1977-85 & as the State's Jr. Senator from 1985-1993). This includes working with then-senator Joe Biden who would now find himself on the other side of that role once held by Mr. Gore.
Indeed, as the quote he used during the Vice Presidential debate becomes more and more poignant, "past is prologue". If he can do this, be a bridge between the Executive and Legislative Branches without muddying up the roles of the two, then he will restore confidence in the role of the Vice President. To show Biden's diplomacy rather than Cheney's hegemony would be the goal.
::::: DESSERT :::::
Finally in continuing with the topic within the Main Course, if you read one thing about Joe Biden in these coming weeks, I cannot stress more strongly than the 20 October interview between the Gentleman and The New Yorker. Here's a taste of the interview that picks up at the discussion about whether or not he would accept the offer to be Obama's running-mate.
Biden consulted with his closest political advisers, including Ted Kaufman, Mike Donilon, and John Marttila, all of whom have been with him since the early days of his career. "They convinced me that I could have more influence on policy as a Vice-President with Barack," Biden said. "And so the bottom line of all of this is that I said, ‘Barack, look, if you’re going to ask me to do this, please don’t ask me for any reason other than that you respect my judgment. If you’re asking me to join you to help govern, and not just help you get elected, then I’m interested. If you’re asking me to help you get elected, I can do that other ways, but I don’t want to be a Vice-President who is not part of the major decisions you make.’ "
::::: THE CHECK ::::::
Thank you for patronage here at Joe's Inn!
What are your expectations for today’s meeting between the Bidens and Cheneys? How about That New Yorker interview?
Also, that picture of Bush and Cheney is just BEGGING for a CAPTION CONTEST! Have at it!
See you next time.