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The Insiders: The Biden Model For VP Is A Good One (WP)

By Ed Rogers

Washington Post<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-insiders/post/the-biden-model-for-vp-is-a-good-one/2012/05/24/gJQAcCXnnU_blog.html>, May 24, 2012

Carter's defense of Vice President Biden is both appropriate and typical. Typical, in the sense that every vice president suffers from these same types of rumors and occasional sniping. You could replace Joe Biden with almost any modern vice president's name in the first paragraph of Carter's post, and it would apply.

Carter's defense is appropriate because by any standard Biden has been a good vice president. I've always respected Biden, and I consider him to be a thoughtful advocate of his position. I think the vice president is particularly creative for a Democrat.

Republicans could learn a lesson from the Biden vice presidency. I hope that Mitt Romney is paying attention. Vice presidents and vice presidential candidates are destined for relative anonymity compared with the president. For the most part, they make news only when they make mistakes.

Among other things, a good vice president is popular with the party, credible with Congress and a tireless surrogate. As Romney evaluates potential vice-presidential nominees, keeping the Biden model in mind wouldn't be a bad idea, including the fact that it's valuable to have a vice president who is not using the position to run for president.

The GOP is blessed with many credible vice-presidential candidates. But as I've said before, one model that should be considered is that of a mature partner in government. We shouldn't try to be too clever and make ourselves believe that vice presidents can deliver any votes. The best we can realistically hope for in a vice-presidential candidate is someone who does no harm. In that regard, I'd like to resubmit the name of Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). He has stature and unequaled experience, and he would be credible with every wing of the party. He would need no on-the-job training with the media - or any debate prep for that matter - and he would underscore the fact that Romney is serious about effective governance. And anyone who would suggest that the senator is not sufficiently conservative for today's GOP is a nut.

The Insiders: Biden Is A Team Player (WP)

By Carter Eskew

Washington Post<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-insiders/post/biden-is-a-team-player/2012/05/24/gJQAEULnmU_blog.html>, May 24, 2012

There are anonymous and unreliable reports that "some people" in the White House are upset with Joe Biden. The president himself was quoted as saying the VPOTUS, got "out a little over his skis"on the gay marriage issue.

As faithful readers know, I am a Biden fan, so I take umbrage at these comments. In fact, they remind me of a scene from the movie "Airplane," in which the old pro basketball player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is challenged by a young punk who says, if memory serves, "My father says you've lost a step." Abdul-Jabbar responds, "Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes."

Joe Biden is an old pro. He goes into the paint every night for Team Obama and does the dirty work of the offensive and defensive boards. He throws the picks that lets other people score. Sure, he fouls every now and then, but who else on the team will carry his load? A recent poll says he is taking some hits in his popularity.

Loyalty and putting team before self are rare qualities in politics. Maybe an "Atta, boy" or even a request for an autograph is a more appropriate response from the youngsters.