The Black Sphere: Biden Gives Himself Desk Closest to Door

Obama hasn't even taken office yet, and already Biden has been given "the desk closest to the door". I had to chuckle when I read in this article from NBC, that Biden wants to "shrink" the VP role. When one compares Biden to Cheney, I don't think Biden has any choice but to shrink the VP role.

Biden said that Cheney's role in the Senate overstepped the bounds of the role of the VP. A transition source who was not authorized to speak on the record according to the article, interprets Bidenspeak for us in this excerpt from NBC New York:

"What he has said previously is that Vice President Cheney had an overly expansive view of the vice president, almost created like a shadow government inside the White House," said the transition official familiar with Biden's role. "Vice President-elect Biden has a very strong view that the vice president's role is to be an advisor to the president and to be a member of the president's team, and that's how he's going to be in the job."

I guess Biden feels like the Veep should just visit impoverish countries, and do photo ops in hospitals and dinners. What, and actually be the right-hand man to the president? Why should the #2 guy in the free world bother with policy position? Obama has lobbyists for that.

The article goes on to say that, "Biden will not begin every day with his own intelligence briefing before sitting in on the president's." Just seeing the words "intelligence" and "Biden" in the same sentence gave me a good chuckle. As I said in The Biden Experiment, Obama is exposing Biden as the buffoon that he is. Not anybody with half a brain, and not even liberals believe that Biden will ever be elected president.

In further marginalizing the VPs role, the unknown transition source said,

"He's been very clear about that from the start that he was not going to take a portfolio in particular areas," the transition official familiar with Biden's role said. Biden would "be available widely and broadly to offer his advice on whatever hard questions the president was trying to decide."

And even if the vice presidency will have less dominance in the executive office than it has over the past eight years, it's a change those close to Biden say he supports."

Translation of "…not going to take a portfolio in particular areas": Joe will have no specific tasks, and was only used to shore up the White vote during the election. Translation of "…it's a change those close to Biden support": We want him as far away from the job site, as we can possibly get him.

Biden has moved from being the Foreign Policy expert to handling the labor relations, to having "not taking a portfolio in particular areas".

"Biden would "be available widely and broadly to offer his advice on whatever hard questions the president was trying to decide."

Right! As if 'The Messiah' needs advice…and from Biden. On the other hand, look at why a real VP is chosen, and how the role is handled, according to Politico.com:

Cheney came to the vice presidency with decades of executive experience, in both the executive branch and the private sector, having served as White House chief of staff for President Gerald Ford, House minority whip, secretary of defense under President George H.W. Bush and chairman of the oil services company Halliburton before becoming Bush's running mate. Biden, on the other hand, was a lawyer in Delaware and then a member of the New Castle County Council before spending 36 years in the U.S. Senate.

Cheney gave top-classified intelligence briefings that the president would typically give. He headed up a group that gave Bush a short list for Supreme Court nominees. Cheney joined the weekly luncheon of Bush's economic team, and he seen as the force behind the Bush tax cuts. He was known to present the president with proposals that would more commonly be the purview of Cabinet members.

The simple fact is that if you have been a Boy Scout Leader or ran a deli, you have more experience than Biden. And as I wrote in "Biden Says I'm No Cheney", he most certainly is not.

That's my rant!

17 comments:

SureHowDoYouKnow - Blogger said...: It is troubling that you Spheroid is gone.. Hope all is well..; 8:54 PM, December 29, 2008
The Black Sphere said...: Hey I know, but I am not spending any more time on it, as I can't change it. Others will come to my aid, so expect more soon. For now, I'm just buzzing up, and hoping to get others to Digg me up for the time being.; 9:24 PM, December 29, 2008
SureHowDoYouKnow - Blogger said...: You are getting digged... I can see it.. Good luck buzzing!! : )

Hopefully someday we will have freedom of thought and speech back in the USA..

God Bless.; 9:41 PM, December 29, 2008
LISA VAZQUEZ said...: Hi there Kevin!

This has nothing to do with the post but I was just stopping by to congratulate you on being a finalist for the 2008 Weblog Awards!

Link:
http://2008.weblogawards.org/site-news/2008-weblog-awards-finalists/#more

{thumbs up}

Lisa; 6:17 AM, December 30, 2008
The Black Sphere said...: Very cool, Lisa! I hadn't checked yet. Please vote for me, as I think that is the way it works, right?; 7:56 AM, December 30, 2008
Anonymous said...: WeAreSparta

Basically between botox injections and colonic treatments (to keep his girlish figure), VP Biden will spend his time coloring in Chairman Obama approved coloring books, drooling in the corner, watching re-runs of Dynasty, and on occasion peaking his hair-plugged head outside long enough to say something utterly retarded like- 'Back during the Great Depression when Roosevelt got on t.v and spoke to the American public'.... You get my drift- homeboy is the dullest tool in the shed; 9:46 AM, December 30, 2008
Anonymous said...: Jamdr

Sparta - I needed a good laugh tonight. That's why his desk is by the door...so they can grab him by the throat and give him a good choke!; 9:47 AM, December 30, 2008
Anonymous said...: EMFK

Be nice. We may all need to know where he gets his hair plugs one day. :-); 9:48 AM, December 30, 2008
Anonymous said...: HOWDOYOUKNOW

They will be on damage patrol every time Biden speaks. It will be fun to watch.; 9:49 AM, December 30, 2008
Anonymous said...: NewsGuy2005

Biden just wants to kick back and relax for four years....; 9:49 AM, December 30, 2008
Anonymous said...: JoeSpaceTime

Below viewing threshold. Hide
Genuine qustion: Don't you think this is a smart move by Joe Biden? Hear me out.

He agrees that he isn't Cheney, and knows he has less experience, but also thinks Cheney had too much influence as VP. That's his opinion, so he has decided to rein in the role he will play. That makes sense, right?

I don't live in the US, so don't know the reasons why Republicans don't like Biden other than the fact he's a Democray. Please enlighten me.

Also... isn't the writer of this blog Republican? The cartoon at the bottom of the page - "Obama's First Day" - is anti-Bush/Cheney as far as I can tell.; 9:50 AM, December 30, 2008
Anonymous said...: tasine

@JoeSpaceTime, I am no authority on Joe Biden, but I do know a few things about him. He has the ability to come across as a happy, feel good guy. That is his good point. His negatives include plagarism, ignorance about many of the topics he talks about (or maybe he is just lying, who knows?). He is a loud-mouth "know-it-all" and makes gaffes all the time which the media ignores (but makes jokes about President Bush's pronunciation of the word nuclear). Obama makes worse gaffes but the media covers for him. Obama's most memorable gaffe that is totally unexplainable is that he referred to the 57 states of America. Maybe he plans to annex Canada, Mexico, Central America, Cuba, South America, Nova Scotia, and something else - wouldn't surprise me if he tried.; 9:51 AM, December 30, 2008
Anonymous said...: zacharytelschow

Biden's numerous gaffes throughout the campaign have clearly indicated his level of intelligence. Hangs out at a diner closed for 20 years, telling a paralyzed man to stand, jobs being a three letter word, the entire FDR/TV rant, Barack America, Hillary Clinton being more qualified, etc. Biden's only saving grace is his supposed experience, but in my opinion his only experience is at being a complete idiot while retaining his elected office, but that may come in handy for Obama, his fellow gaffe machine. Who knows?; 8:17 PM, December 30, 2008
Anonymous said...: BungaloBill

This guy's blog is a poorly written rambling pile of nonsense and this particular entry is no exception. How he can get by in life being so very nearly functionally illiterate is kind of amazing to be honest; 8:18 PM, December 30, 2008
Anonymous said...: TheGroje

Does the author of this piece really think that someone whose only career experience is "scout leader" is more qualified to be VP than someone with over thirty years of US senate experience... really? I mean... -really-? I mean, I understand that hyperbole can be fun, but in this case it just makes the author sound retarded.

No disrespect to scout leaders, but if "scout leader" is the extent of your executive experience, I just don't see how any rational person would consider your application for VP over someone with thirty plus years of Senate experience.

Perhaps when the author has thirty years worth of experience doing something, they will come to appreciate what that means. I shall not hold my breath.; 8:18 PM, December 30, 2008
The Black Sphere said...: BungaloBill - End questions with a question mark. And something is either amazing or it is not, and not "kind of amazing"! - The Black Sphere; 8:20 AM, January 03, 2009
The Black Sphere said...: @thegroje - There is this thing call satire...check it out!

I know it takes a Liberal 30 years to learn to tie a shoelace, so I understand your final point...if I was a knucklehead Lib, that is!; 8:22 AM, January 03, 2009