So, what to make of the recent news cycle infatuation with Joe Biden’s putative presidential ambitions? Nothing. It’s more about the news cyclists than it is about the veep, although Biden, to be sure, is not officially precluding a 2016 run.
And, frankly, he’s entitled to play it this way. Biden has served this president and this country well. As VP, he’s much more Al Gore than Dan Quayle or Dick Cheney. He’d be viable at the next level. He’d be an America’s-best-interests asset. He has more Oval Office cred with knowledgeable insiders than the public at large realizes.
He was the sixth youngest senator (30) in U.S. history and has chaired both the Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees. He will be proved right on the inevitable parallels of Iraq and Yugoslavia. He’s run twice before (1988, 2008) for president. He’s well-informed and a strong debater, even if he does occasionally ignore the thin line between the loquacious and the awkward.
But the 71-year-old’s time has likely passed–with yet another history-making, Democratic candidate pacing in the wings. Biden equivocated on the presidential-quest question the other day for several reasons. It helps him maintain influence and leverage during President’s Obama’s lame-duck term. It’s also about pride and ego. He is, after all, the vice president–and often throughout our history VP’s are next up.
Plus, never say never. Stuff happens in politics.