Musings:
Hugh Hewitt, a popular radio host on the West Coast and in the Midwest, is appalled by how Obama knocks America. Just in the past day or so, Obama waxed eloquent (Doesn’t he always wax eloquent?) about how great the infrastructure in China is and how much better it is than in the United States. Tell that to the majority of Chinese living beyond the Beijing region where the Olympics were held. And recall the denigration of America before 200,000 in Berlin. Hewitt observed:
It is an unusual strategy to seek the presidency by arguing that American conduct abroad is the equivalent of Russia's, that China's engineering and architectural achievements are superior to ours, and that it could be understood how a business might think it would be better off relocating to the PRC.Obama is definitely not running on American exceptionalism, but we knew that when he told the seven-year old that "America is no longer what it could be, what it once was."
And now Obama has chosen good old Joe Biden for his VP. John Hinderaker, one of the lawyer bloggers on the very popular Power Line blog said it well:
THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BIDEN Some time in the next 48 hours, Barack Obama will announce his running mate. The current favorite seems to be Joe Biden. I hope it's true: if Obama chooses Biden, it will be more evidence that he, and the Democrats generally, are living in a bubble. Personally, I kind of like Biden. He can be disarming at times, and occasionally borders on the moderate. But how can he possibly help Obama? Throughout his long career, Biden has been anything but a powerhouse. His several Presidential runs have gone nowhere. On the national scene he is, frankly, a bit of a joke. What is he going to do, help Obama carry Delaware? You can see the logic behind choosing Biden. Obama is young, so he wants an old Veep. Obama knows little about American history, diplomacy, foreign affairs or military matters, and Biden is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Superficially, it seems to make sense. The problem is that, whereas Obama is a young lightweight, Biden is an old lightweight--Obama with a hair transplant. While Obama has only been a lightweight for 47 years, Biden has been one for 65. Is this a big plus? I doubt it. If you put Biden on a stage next to Tim Pawlenty and ask voters which one is the serious candidate, two-thirds will say Pawlenty. [Same for Romney.] So: Slow Joe Biden for Vice-President? Absolutely! It's one more sign that Obama, the supposed harbinger of change, is running an unimaginative, paint-by-numbers campaign.
Hinderaker practices law in Minnesota, so knows its governor Tim Pawlenty very well. Pawlenty is shaping up as McCain’s VP choice. It really comes down to two excekkebt choices Romney and Pawlenty, but, sadly, polling shows that anti-Mormon prejudice would hurt a McCain-Romney ticket, which for America would be a very strong team. Nonetheless, Pawlenty is bright, savvy and articulate and a popular Republican in Democratic Minnesota. Pawlenty has been featured prominently on television lately to build up his exposure and has handled himself well. So the Republican team will be a strong one with Pawlenty in the second slot.
Surprises can happen, but Pawlenty appears to have the inside track.
