Biden for Secretary of State?
Last week, when I wrote about Biden’s excellent op-ed in the WSJ, I hadn’t seen this Newsweek article all but declaring the cabinet post deal done.
“(Biden)…is emerging as a major consigliere to Barack Obama—perhaps with his eye on State once again. Among the top items on Biden’s agenda: making sure that Obama has better luck in November than Kerry did. That means, first, relentlessly attacking and counterattacking the Republicans on the campaign trail, especially on national-security issues. And, second, relentlessly defining John McCain as “joined at the hip” to Bush, as Biden put it in a speech in Washington on Tuesday.”
Yes, this article is abit over cooked in its speculation, but I am glad to know that Biden and Obama are speaking on a regular basis. I can’t think of anyone else on Obama’s team who might qualify (Susan Rice, Zbigniew Brzezinski?), but who else do you think would be a great Secretary of State for Obama?
But better than this is:
“In an interview, Biden said that he and other leading Democrats are “absolutely, thoroughly, totally” making a conscious effort to ensure that Obama doesn’t become the next Kerry.”
I think that this counts as declaring. But all in all it also looks like he’s seriously auditioning for Obama (with all of that consulting and advice and all), which now takes him off my VP list. But while I think it may have been smart to keep his powder dry, I really don’t think he would have gotten the nod in a Clinton administration — long-time Clinton loyalist Richard Holbrooke (no foreign policy slouch, either, but more on the belligerent side) would have gotten the nod. I would have put money on it.
So if Biden gets to be Secretary of State, who here gets his Senate seat?
Tags: 2008 Presidential, Joe Biden
Either Beau or the loser of the gubernatorial primary.
Beau is my bet
Or maybe, just maybe, there is still an outside chance for Daniello to broker the Carney/Markell ticket (with Ted Blunt out of the way) and Matt Denn running as the incumbent IC. They’d have to get Gene Reed out of the race, but it’s doable. The tradeoff would be Markell being promised the Senate spot as a reward for vacating the primary.
I’m a Markell guy, and I think we need his vision in Dover, but Daniello harbors dreams of avoiding the primary at all costs, so it might be possible.
I’m with Benjamin. Beau will run, and probably win. Name recognition will be a huge advantage for him.
Beau Biden is not qualified to go to DC yet, IMHO.
Beau pledged to serve a full term as AG, which means a placeholder could be appointed until he’s ready to vacate.
Why would the winner of the 2008 election, John McCain, select Joe Biden to be his Secretary of State?
Steve you are living a pipe dream to think all of that would fall into place. Why would Markell, Carney, Denn, and Reed do this? To be good ol’ party boys? Isn’t that what we are trying to change in this state?
If gReed drops out of the race, what happens to the big money he accepted from the insurance industry?
I’m sorry, but I don’t see Joe becoming Secretary of State. He simply doesn’t have the temperament, the gravitas, or the tact. I think he is jockeying for the position, and perhaps believes the offer would be made, but I think that’s all in his head.
As for Beau – puh. Delaware gives Biden a life-long career in the Senate – pulling him out of nothing, and how does he reward us? He offers a little Prince Harry in some sort of creepy, dynastic, ritual of ascension.
Biden has always been close with Ted Kennedy and fascinated with that clan – I have no doubt that he fancies his family as the Delaware franchise. Sorry, I want no part of any of that. I like Joe and I think he’s been good for the state but I am very apprehensive about just handing the seat to Beau. There’s something almost grotesque about the way they exhibit this sense of entitlement.
For all the garbage that Ruth Ann and Joe talk about the greatness of coming from nothing – why the hell would they hand it off to Beau? I think Markell is the much better choice and I’d love to see the Carper/Carney sect of the party finagle a deal to stop a potential primary, and make sure Jack is the next U.S. Senator.
George: I don’t think Jack is interested in the Senate.
As much as I agree with you about rejecting this move toward a Biden dynasty, the public in many states has done the same thing. Most who give the matter any thought would probably agree with us, but as long as name recognition plays the huge role it currently does in American politics, this aristocratic, anti-democratic practice will continue.
I see Markell as a born and raised administrator. I think he’ll take a shot at the US Senate about as quickly as the Delaware Senate; it just ain’t gonna happen. He knows the area to shine is, and has the ability to shine in, the administration.
I predict no reshuffle of the current crop of state-wide candidates.
While I’m no insider, my point is/was that Party Chairman Daniello still harbors dreams of avoiding this primary. With Blunt out, you can bet that he, and probably a few other would-be kingmakers, are at least dipping their toes in the water.
I said in my original post that at best there was an ‘outside chance’ this would happen. And I agree with ‘Call It’ that this represents the Delaware Way at its worst, and is what I’d like to avoid.
But I’ll betcha that there are at least some wheels spinning…
I still think Biden would be better as the number two man on the ticket for the first term, adding a “hammer” who also has elder stateseman status. I think he would serve well as Sec. of State as well, though I think there is some danger in his temperment.
As far as local “deals,” I think too much money has already gone to both Markell and Carney for either to back down. Many of the contributors to Markell for governor would not forgive him if he took their money and then setteled for Lt. Gov. instead. We cannot forget that money talks at any level of politics; the “compromise” remains a dream.
As to Biden’s Senate seat, I hate the idea of entitlement and inhereted positions. However, Beau would be the most likely candidate given his statewide position. I can’t think of anyone else who would be bothinterested and qualified at the moment.
Just one question–if Biden is such a ‘consigliere’ to Obama, and if he indeed is the most powerful D in the state, which I think he is, then why can’t he get these superdelegate wusses to come out and endorse Obama already?
FYI –
Ron Williams is a well known moron.
Anyone who takes him seriously is, likewise, a moron.
When Kerry was running in 2004, I had heard speculation (probably clueless speculation, but nonetheless) that if Biden was made Sec of State, that Minner might appoint Jim Baker to serve out the rest of Biden’s term. (Talk about temperament issues.)
But thinking about getting around the dynastic issues, any possibility that Chris Coons could be tapped to serve out the rest of a term? If we were feeling especially evil, we could wish an appointment for Thurman Adams, who certainly could not take his desk drawer with him and might reset the legislative field here.
Let’s say Obama winas and picks Biden to be Sec State….
If Biden gets picked early he could get Minner to appoint Beau.
If he gets appointed Sec of State late, Governor Markell would have more independence.
“Beau would be the most likely candidate given his statewide position. I can’t think of anyone else who would be both interested and qualified at the moment.”
In what way would Beau be “qualified” to serve in the U.S. Senate?
Joe wasn’t “qualified” either when he was elected with 2 years experience on NCC Council.
Yes, and look where that’s gotten us — a “liberal” who’s more in bed with the police than any conservative Republican could ever dream of being.
Donviti for Senate!
He’s a statewide office holder who has won a statewide election already (and a hotly contested one at that). Other than that – the qualification for the Senate are really rather basic. To be sure, I’d rather we actually start electing citizens instead of career politicians, but that just doesn’t seem to happen these days. At least Beau is aware of the political ropes in today’s system.
I’d have a hard time supporting Beau, but I’m not sure why.
I think the divine right of kings, hereditary sucession and the rule of primogeniture just rubs me the wrong way.
Call me crazy.
Jason, I don’t think I could support Beau, either. He seems a nice enough person, and seems committed to doing the right thing, but don’t think that he has made his mark enough on the job he has to be able to believe that he could hit the ground running.
At the core, though, most citizens don’t have the kind of employment that would leave them free to do the kind of campaigning it takes to get the job (or in th case of alot of state pols, be able to keep their day jobs while being legislators too).
What kind of experience is the right experience for the Senate? Or any elective office for that matter?
Beau seems no better or worse than anybody else I can think of for Senate.
ABB…anybody but Beau Beau. He has not lived up to even one of his campaign promises…to the best of my knowledge. In personality he is a shadow of his pop and that’s where he should stay… in the shadows. I am not impressed w/his performance to date.
Joe for Sec. State sounds good to me. He’s got that Irish malarkey in him…he could charm a monkey out of a tree. 🙂
I still believe Torturnin’ Tom is the Oz behind (and sometimes not so behind) the curtain pulling the strings….a dangerous, vacuous (sp), numb nut being controlled by banking/business….how we gonna get rid of him?
Wait till his draft aged sons become eligible to run…hell, neither of them has been wounded or killed in the mid-east. Perfect candidates….the new empty suit.
Delaware’s Hottest Blogger for Senate….beat that Beau 🙂
I do not think Obama would pick Biden for anything. Joes plan to “colonize” Iraq is proof of his inabilty to grasp the complexities in the middle east. Obviously he doesnt believe asking the Iraqis what they want is worthwhile to his “colonizer” mindset.
Joe voted for this war don’t forget. Obama would do better as a “change” president to pick someone who also knew it was a grave mistake.
I don’t think that the plan Biden extended for an Iraqi confederation can be called colonization. What Bushco is doing there now is rather like a forced corporate colonization in terms of the oil contracts waiting to be signed.
Biden’s terms are to have semi-autonomous regional entities that share a common federation which controls allotments of the oil profits and little else.
“At least Beau is aware of the political ropes in today’s system.”
“Beau seems no better or worse than anybody else I can think of for Senate.”
Wow. Talk about defining expectations downward. Are you really willing to accept so little in and from your candidates?
Nancy: Bidens plan calls for WALLS! A central government giving the Shia all the oil, and the Sunnis with no income.
Do all you democracy lovers, think the Iraqi people “have any say in their own government”. I think if you look up the word “colonizer”, and “occupier” it proves that Biden is “deciding” for a soverign nation. Surely the Iraqi people and their parliment should decide what the government is, what their consitution is, and notbe pushed on them with a “gun to their heads”, which is the situation now.
Hunt Oil, and other oil companies are taking their oil. They object and they are refusing to honor Bremers demands, that “all unexplored oil would go to american oil companies”….for what…for destroying a nation, killing millions of its citizens for lies….and we have the gall to split their country “cuz some Senator from Delaware USA”, thinks its a good idea.
They have their own ideas. The nations surrounding Iraq should be helping to make these decisions, not the invader nation the USA, the “colonizer”.