Obama's Missed Opportunity

Senator Obama's selection of Joe Biden seems to be just what the Republicans ordered. It is a fairly open admission that Obama's foreign policy resume is so thin that you'd need to find it with a scanning electron microscope. (In fact, not that many months ago Biden himself said that Obama didn't have enough experience to be president.) The presence of old-hand Biden on the ticket also undercuts Obama's key selling point, which is change. Biden brings the average age of the ticket way up, and presents an opening for McCain to bring in someone that the country can really get excited about.

Further, the choice of Biden over Hillary Clinton can only be interpreted by the many who voted for her as a snub. Finally, it shows Obama's insecurity: Biden is no young, rising star in the party; apparently, the junior senator from Illinois is nervous about sharing the spotlight with someone who might upstage him. Democrats and the media may outwardly praise this choice, but inwardly I find it hard to believe that they can view it as anything but a missed opportunity.