Change Ain't A Comin'

Though Barak Obama has faced much criticism already this election cycle, he has continued to struggle in foreign policy. So, naturally, he would select a foreign policy buff for vice president. But rather than following his own ideals, Sen. Obama has followed the party in selecting long-term Senator Joe Biden. In a campaign centered around “Change We Can Believe In” (he even sells this phrase on a t-shirt on his website), it is difficult to expect anything other than traditional party politics. With his selection of Senator Joe Biden of Deleware, Sen. Obama simply confirms that he is willing to play all the political games of the past.
Joe Biden joined the Senate in 1973. Nixon was still in office; Vietnam was still ongoing; Elvis was still alive. Barack Obama was only 12 years old. Sen. Biden is now serving his 6th term, the sixth longest period among current senators. He is a powerful veteran of the political world. Senator Biden ran for and failed in his first attempt at the presidency in 1988 (the same year that Obama joined Harvard Law School). Since then, he has been an influential chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
In 2002, Biden stated that Sadaam Hussein was a threat to national security and that the threat had to be eliminated. He supported the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq which justified the war. But this is the same for many Democrats who feel they were tricked, with false military information, by the current administration. What is odd is Biden’s exit plan: Biden is an advocate of breaking Iraq into three ethnic states. He supports neither the current plan for Iraq nor a withdrawal plan, as Senator Obama does. His desire to have Iraq broken in to three eithnic states was released in a comprehensive outline, and as a result, Iraq’s political leadership and the American Embassy in Iraq both denounced the plan. And further, some senior military planners cautioned that this type of policy could lead to up to the addition of 100,000 troops in the region, over the coming years. This Iraq War strategy is a far cry from Senator Obama’s plan, The Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007, which the senator himself introduced and promotes troop caps and benchmarks.
“We are the change we seek.” (Barack Obama, 5 February 2008). But, Biden may not be. Though, he was selected for a reason. And he may just be the ticket to the Presidency for Barack Obama. Biden has a few important political qualities: he appeals to many middle class and blue collar workers and he is willing to criticize Senator McCain. He’s rough and tough, just what Senator Obama was lacking. He also has much experience in Foreign and National security which is one point that Senator McCain continues to point out as Sen. Obama’s weak spot.
With no incumbent president, a woman on the Republican ticket, and an African-American on the Democratic ticket, we are geared toward change. Though Sen. Biden may be one of the most senior members of the Senate, and though he may have an outburst or slip of tongue during the campaign trail, he may be exactly what Presidential hopeful Barack Obama needs.