The Obama-Biden Dynamic

Back when I first heard that Barack Obama had selected Joe Biden as his running mate, I wondered, "How's that dynamic going to work out?" The Joe Biden I knew was a senior senator who liked his Amtrak commutes, his role on the foreign relations committee and his independence. But then Obama appeared on "Meet the Press" and said, "I'm going to want someone with independence, who's willing to tell me when he thinks or she thinks I'm wrong. We're going to have a lot of problems and a lot of work to do, and I'm not interested in a vice president who I just send off to go to funerals." After many interviews of putting down the Veep speculation, Biden finally told the world he was ready to serve, especially since Obama made it clear he wants more than just a figurehead for his vice presidency. When Biden was first announced as the VP-elect, they went on this whirlwind "rockstar" tour of America to show that they had the charisma, the passion and the gravitas to lead the nation. But over time, Biden's independent spirit has done the administration well: while Obama stays in Washington, tending to business, he can send Joe jet-setting and globe-trotting on special missions.

In many ways, Biden has been a loyal pointguard for Obama's agenda. He's traveled to small manufacturing towns to champion the stimulus efforts and call attention to the issue of the moment -- whether it be clean energy, middle class job creation, troop withdrawal in the Middle East or healthcare. He's also been given the enormous task of, not only publicly defending the stimulus bill, but also checking up on governors and enforcing its use. Whenever necessary, Obama can send the affable Joe to do damage control in places like Ohio, where unemployment has risen past 10% or to speak at the annual LGBT fundraiser to assuage concerns that gays and lesbians have been fired from the military at an alarming rate since Obama took office. Obama also sends Joe Biden around to foreign countries to echo his sentiments. For instance, next Monday through Thursday, Biden will visit Ukraine and Georgia as a follow-up to Obama's Moscow visit this month. There, Biden will reassure Georgia and Ukraine that their interests matter to us as well, and we're not looking to strengthen ties with Russia at the expense of losing these neighboring allies.

However, there is another Vice President Biden that sometimes emerges. We suddenly see him as an experimental exploratory committee, used to test the waters on a number of issues the administration is silently considering. For instance, they send Joe out to talk about "a second stimulus"; then when there's a public backlash and everyone's clamoring, "Wait, what? A second stimulus? The first one didn't even work!" -- Obama can step in and say, "No, no, that's not true. We don't know what Joe is saying. He didn't mean that, really." On the campaign trail, one of Obama's advisors mentioned, "After having a president for 8 years who can't go beyond talking points, it's good that Biden can dig into the issues, even if he occasionally goes overboard." Perhaps another instance of "going overboard" occurred with Biden's soundbite last week about Iran, where he told George Stephanapoulous that the U.S. would not stand in the way of Israeli military intervention in Iran -- which was widely perceived as an aggressive comment. Obama then appeared on camera saying that the U.S. had no intention of getting into a military conflict with Iran and that the comment was simply misinterpreted. Yet, this sort of tough talk isn't quickly forgotten. As Obama paints a picture of "America the Uniter," Biden is in the background reminding foreign nations what happens when you "mess with Sheriff Joe." This duality is a comfortable balance, since a president perceived as too accommodating and too nice may jeopardize national security, as ruthless dictators view kindness as a sort of weakness. At the same time, we see the dangers of the previous administrations tough-line stance with foreign leaders, withholding talks based on a number of preconditions and hurting the world image of America.

Even though the Washington Post's David Ignatius once called Biden "the incredible shrinking vice president-elect," Joe is proving that he's serving a vital role in the current administration even if no one's really reporting on it. Whether he's reinforcing Obama's key talking points or testing the waters with his outlandish comments, this vice president is no mere placeholder.