Where else could you get seasoned foreign affairs experience, judiciary experience, legislative experience, and honesty and gavitas all in one bright, articulate, clean package? This gravitas is just what the unseasoned, inexperienced Obama needs to put to rest fears that he will not be ready on day one.
Joe Biden is the man. Let’s examine the record.
Here is what happened in the 1988 campaign (New York Times):
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 as a first-year law student at Syracuse Law School, Biden had plagiarized a law review article in a class paper he wrote. Though the dean of the law school in 1988 as well as Biden’s former professor played down the incident of plagiarism, they did find that Biden drew “chunks of heavy legal prose directly from” the article in question. Biden said the act was inadvertent due to his not knowing the proper rules of citation, and Biden was permitted to retake the course after receiving a grade of F, which was subsequently dropped from his record. Biden also released his undergraduate grades, which started off poorly and remained unexceptional. 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) that he had attended on a full scholarship, and had received three degrees. In fact he had received two majors, History and Political Science, and a single B.A., as well as a half scholarship based on financial need.
Faced with these revelations, Biden withdrew from the nomination race on September 23, 1987, saying his candidacy had been overrun by “the exaggerated shadow” of his mistakes.
Here is what happened to him in 2008 (Biden himself):
Biden on Barack: “I think he can be ready, but right now I don’t believe he is. It’s awful hard, with only a little bit of experience to have a clear sense of what you would do on the most critical issues facing us today.”
Biden on Delaware: “In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.”
Biden on McCain: “John McCain is a personal friend, a great friend and I would be honored to run with or against John McCain.”
Well, Joe, I guess you have that chance now. How nice to have you aboard. Truly an inspirational choice by the brave, proud, sincere, though somewhat lacking in experience, Barack Obama.