Althouse: "How many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?"/"I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t say anything about bitter people who cling to their guns and religion."

January 10, 2010

"How many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?"/"I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t say anything about bitter people who cling to their guns and religion."

Quotes from a new book elicit an invitation to take another look at this famous photo:

45 comments:

Anonymous said...: Arrogant, ambitious, petty, immature babies - every last one of them.; 1/10/10, 9:44 AM
AllenS said...: I'd like to see Joe Biden team up with Pee Wee Herman.; 1/10/10, 9:50 AM
Unknown said...: Joe has more brains than I ever gave him credit for (and that wouldn't be hard).

WV "restu" What God told the merry gentlemen to do.; 1/10/10, 10:04 AM
Moose said...: I dunno what Barry is thinking here, but you have to stop and wonder - how thin skinned is he?

Pun intended.; 1/10/10, 10:04 AM
F said...: I continue to believe the fact that the White House Communications Office put the photo out is more important than what either man was thinking. Someone in that office either accepts as unremarkable Obama's disdain for his VP, or looks through it. Curious. F; 1/10/10, 10:08 AM
Anonymous said...: Whoever said "how many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?" is as stupid as Biden is. Joe "Jim Wright smile" Biden.

wv: sonial - feminist hymn book for Sonia Sotomayor; 1/10/10, 10:11 AM
KCFleming said...: I await the NYTimes expose' on the Obamas, which -like the trashy Edwards story- will come out years after it was needed.

If we had only known.; 1/10/10, 10:19 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: ""How many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?"

Hey, genius, you picked him.; 1/10/10, 10:22 AM
AllenS said...: My all time favorite:

"Look, John's last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the number-one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs."; 1/10/10, 10:25 AM
vbspurs said...: Well played, Ann. Given teh context of "Game Change", this photo is exactly what people were thinking it was (perhaps with a little "tired" thrown in):

A "light-skinned", "clean" "Negro" President staring down his ridiculous gaffe-a-matic and infinitely better qualified Vice-President, who he dislikes. And the feeling is mutual.

Biden is toast in 2012. Enter Hillary (if she doesn't bail in the next year, and run herself, which is likely).

Cheers,
Victoria; 1/10/10, 10:25 AM
vbspurs said...: wv: hyponi -- When you skate on ice with hypotheses, like I did.; 1/10/10, 10:26 AM
Wince said...: What did I say before?

1.) Obama "looking down nose at Biden."

2.) The secret deal is the VP slot is Hillary's in 2012, if she wants it, in exchange for her not challenging Obama in 2012, even if she doesn't take it.

Which would put Hillary in the cat bird seat. Let's see if the deal holds. You know how honorable the Clintons are. I suspect the gap in the deal is if Obama doesn't want it, and whether Hillary can do anything to make that happen.

The perverse thing is the lesson Obama draws from getting burned following his entreaties to so-called allies, Democrat rivals and especially enemies of this country. It probably justifies, in his mind, the "Chicago tactics" he uses against his “right-wing” domestic "opponents" who are just trying to save the country from the ruin his adolescent notions.

Let’s face it: Cheney is the vice-president who has given Obama the best advice so far, and Obama has only just begun to follow it.

On Thursday, having renounced over the preceding days "the system worked," the "isolated extremist," the more obviously risible TSA responses, the Gitmo-Yemen express checkout and various other follies, the president finally spoke the words: "We are at war." As National Review's Rich Lowry noted, they were more or less dragged from the presidential gullet by Dick Cheney, who'd accused the commander in chief of failing to grasp this basic point.; 1/10/10, 10:27 AM
vbspurs said...: Hey, genius, you picked him.

Actually, a committee of three people picked him, which included Caroline Kennedy. I'm sure they slaved over the paperwork, interviews, and scenarios endlessly before they arrived at the choice, Crack.

Meanwhile, Palin was chosen in a comparatively quickie way by Arthur Culvahouse and Co., with the results being very much the same -- the choice is being second-guessed by everyone.

Cheers,
Victoria; 1/10/10, 10:29 AM
alan markus said...: Good idea, Joe Biden teaming up with Pee Wee Herman. First item on the agenda, they should take in a movie at South Trail Cinema in Saratosa Florida. If Pee Wee would get arrested for anything, Joe should be able to "get him off".; 1/10/10, 10:30 AM
vbspurs said...: I suspect the gap in the deal is if Obama doesn't want it, and whether Hillary can do anything to make that happen.

Would Obama be the only voluntary "do not wish to run for a second term" sitting President? I don't count LBJ, since he did part of JFK's term, however brief.

I would totally lose respect for him, for his fire in the belly, for his much vaunted ego, if he didn't run in 2012. He has to think of other future black Presidents, for chrissakes.

You CANNOT allow people to think a black person is a quitter when the going gets rough (like many do of Palin now).

Cheers,
Victoria; 1/10/10, 10:33 AM
vbspurs said...: Pogo wrote:

I await the NYTimes expose' on the Obamas, which -like the trashy Edwards story- will come out years after it was needed.

If we had only known.

Meanwhile, the NYT prints a front page story of a bogus McCain affair, and the AP sends a paratrooper-strong fleet of journalists to Alaska the day after Palin was rolled out as running mate, to comb through every dust bin, dumping ground, and disgruntled fired employee for dirt on her.

I HATE NEWS MEDIA. More than ever today.; 1/10/10, 10:37 AM
former law student said...: a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs.

Years of reading the rules of the Tribune Word Game have drummed into my head that words with four letters, only because they've acquired an 's,' do not count as four letter words. Perhaps Biden is a Word Game aficionado.

Word game

This game challenges you to find as many words as you can, as quickly as you can, in one master word.

EXAMPLE

Can you find 24 or more words in EXAMPLE?

Average mark: 16 words

Time limit: 35 minutes

Here are the rules:

1. Words must be four or more letters long. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of an “s,” such as “bats” and “cats,” are not used. 3. Only one form of a verb is used. For example, either “pose” or “posed,” not both. 4. Proper nouns are not used. 5. Slang words are not used.; 1/10/10, 10:38 AM
Anonymous said...: The answer is blowing in the wind.; 1/10/10, 10:38 AM
KCFleming said...: You said it, Victoria.

The shocking thing about the Edwards piece was that no one had any qualms about this guy actually being the President until it became clear he would lose. The the daggers came out. Same thing with the Obamas. Now important stories come out, precisely at a time when they will do the least damage.; 1/10/10, 10:42 AM
KCFleming said...: Yeah, that's the ticket, fls.
Go with "word game fanatic'.; 1/10/10, 10:43 AM
vbspurs said...: In light of this photograph and the disclosures of the juiciest political book of our times, can we infer the following:

"Barack Obama is a good actor."

Because he doesn't give a hint of the character which blows up at Biden's gaffes privately, or says things like this about the 2008 election:

"This shit would be really interesting if we weren't in the middle of it."

Is he really cool? Or just faking it (very wery well)?

Cheers,
Victoria; 1/10/10, 10:44 AM
AllenS said...: Three letter words.

form laws dent; 1/10/10, 10:49 AM
vbspurs said...: The shocking thing about the Edwards piece was that no one had any qualms about this guy actually being the President until it became clear he would lose. The the daggers came out.

I forget the lefty blog site (perhaps Taylor Marsh), but I recall reading commentaries last night via Memeorandum, about this very topic. One person brought up that she was a feminist, but had long ago made her peace with cheating pols like Clinton.

"He may be a dog, but he's our dog!"

I think that's the difference between Republicans and Democrats. We throw our politicians down the pitt of hell when they misbehave. You'll not find too many die-hard Sanford or Mark Foley supporters today.

But Democrats are bound by ideology, and so long as the politics are sound, they will tolerate skirt-chasing sexist pigs like Clinton and Teddy Kennedy, for as long as they support the liberal agenda.

And that goes double for the "educated, independent" women who marry them. Shame on you, Hillary and Elizabeth. You're doormats worse than any Stepford Wife.; 1/10/10, 10:50 AM
AllenS said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/10/10, 10:55 AM
somefeller said...: I think that's the difference between Republicans and Democrats. We throw our politicians down the pitt of hell when they misbehave.

Yeah, that's why Senators David Vitter and John Ensign are unemployed right now, and why one never sees Newt Gingrich on the Sunday morning talkshows anymore.; 1/10/10, 10:59 AM
somefeller said...: And as far as the Obama/Biden relationship goes, I suspect it's like many if not most President/Vice President relationships - one whose success is predicated on mutual political needs rather than close friendship. I don't recall many stories about the close friendships between Reagan and Bush, Kennedy and Johnson, or Eisenhower and Nixon.; 1/10/10, 11:02 AM
Big Mike said...: IMAO, if young Mr. Obama had properly paid his dues in the US Senate he would have been well aware of Joe Biden's propensity for sticking his foot in his mouth up to his kneecap. Yet another example of what happens when the electorate overlooks or undervalues the experience factor.

@Victoria just above, I read today's WaPo before powering up the computer, and I see that David Broder has devoted a column to how much he will miss such a fine, upstanding senator as Chris Dodd now that he's retiring. I guess if you're a crooked, philandering politician with his foot perpetually in his mouth then the Democrat party is the only place for you.; 1/10/10, 11:03 AM
vbspurs said...: And Tom DeLay is dancing up a storm!

Yes, I knew Ensign would be referenced, for example. I also expected Giuliani to be mentioned.

But Ensign is on much shakier ground with Republicans, than Bill Clinton is, and Teddy Kennedy ever was.; 1/10/10, 11:03 AM
vbspurs said...: wv: hammas!! What a shame it doesn't fit in this news story.; 1/10/10, 11:04 AM
vbspurs said...: Reagan and Bush, Kennedy and Johnson, or Eisenhower and Nixon.

Just seeing this litany of President-Vice-President combos of yesteryear, brings home the point of how far we have fallen as a nation.

Reagan and Bush. Eisenhower and Nixon. Kennedy and LBJ.......Obama and Biden.

Oy.; 1/10/10, 11:06 AM
Unknown said...: First, anyone who says, "If only we had known", wasn't paying attention in the first place - on any of these losers, although, yes, I do believe the country country ducked a bullet with regard to The Breck Girl.

I have to disagree with vb and EDH (I know I take my life in my hands doing this), but I don't think for a minute there's any kind of deal between the Obamas and the Clintons. They hate each other and part of that is fueled by Willie's sotto voce racism.

Putting Hillary at State was giving her the chance to fail Barry needed while keeping her on ice and out of the spotlight. Joe maybe the Hannibal Hamlin of '12, but the Hildabeast ain't gonna be Andrew Johnson.

WV "milenoma" What you get when you have too much frequent flight.; 1/10/10, 11:07 AM
vbspurs said...: Big Mike! You read the dead tree versions of newspapers? I knew there had to be at least one of you out there. ;)

Just razzing you, of course. I cancelled by NYT subscription after 9/11, followed by WaPo in 2002, finally the WSJ in 2005. Been an 100% internet reader since then (and now on the Kindle).; 1/10/10, 11:09 AM
Big Mike said...: @Victoria, shameful isn't it?

Introduced wife to online version of the Post but she insists that the clip-out coupons make it worth the subscription cost. She also says that if you start reading the front pages on page 4 you can actually extract real news (she skips the first three pages entirely, while I skip the whole front section and go straight to the editorial pages so I can get my blood pressure up).

Besides, we need something to line the cages.

Yeah, ain't it just like a man to blame his poor wife.; 1/10/10, 11:25 AM
Anonymous said...: Biden: "Did you hear the one about the Grand Dragon and Aunt Jamima?"; 1/10/10, 11:40 AM
El Presidente said...: More evidence that Hillary Clinton will challenge Obama in the Democratic Primary.; 1/10/10, 12:11 PM
Wince said...: I have to disagree with vb and EDH (I know I take my life in my hands doing this), but I don't think for a minute there's any kind of deal between the Obamas and the Clintons. They hate each other and part of that is fueled by Willie's sotto voce racism.

I agree about the sentiments between them, but there had to be a "deal" or "understanding" about the relationship going forward, even if daggers were drawn beneath senatorial robes, especially with regard to a potential challenge.

I speculate because it's the only deal I can see that would have made sense for both sides to take.; 1/10/10, 12:42 PM
vbspurs said...: "Did you hear the one about the Grand Dragon and Aunt Jamima?"

Punchline: "I's don't know who you iz back theah, but I's here everything Tuesday and Thu'sday!"; 1/10/10, 12:45 PM
vbspurs said...: The first mammy joke I ever heard was from a flaming American lefty visiting prof at Oxford. That was the punchline...; 1/10/10, 12:46 PM
vbspurs said...: I speculate because it's the only deal I can see that would have made sense for both sides to take.

I found it bizarrely touching how Obama opened up to Clinton the moment she confessed that her husband would be a "problem".

Also, I always suspected that Hillary was more pro-black than Bill, in the civil rights sense, but typically for her in her marriage, he got the glory about that and she didn't.

Bill Clinton is and always be a Bubba.; 1/10/10, 12:49 PM
Unknown said...: EDH said...

I have to disagree with vb and EDH (I know I take my life in my hands doing this), but I don't think for a minute there's any kind of deal between the Obamas and the Clintons. They hate each other and part of that is fueled by Willie's sotto voce racism.

I agree about the sentiments between them, but there had to be a "deal" or "understanding" about the relationship going forward, even if daggers were drawn beneath senatorial robes, especially with regard to a potential challenge.

I speculate because it's the only deal I can see that would have made sense for both sides to take.

I understand your point; my take has always been Hilla took the job knowing part of the intent was to keep her at bay, but also understanding this would be a chance to show she really is Presidential timber, which her stints as FLOTUS, in the Senate, and in her run for the White house definitely didn't.

She's been a big flop at State and I have a feeling RahmBO knew that going in.; 1/10/10, 2:02 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: If Obama picks any Clinton to be Vp he's a dead man.

The Clinton's don't play.; 1/10/10, 2:18 PM
XWL said...: The White House's Photostream at Flickr has only uploaded four pictures since the 1st.

I started uploading LOL Obama daily on the 1st.

Coincidence?

(and I haven't used this photo yet, I like to give myself a better challenge than it provides); 1/10/10, 4:46 PM
JAL said...: vbspurs: I HATE NEWS MEDIA. More than ever today.

Shut off that TV, Vic.; 1/10/10, 8:01 PM
David said...: Obama's look is one of boredom and contempt, quite a commentary since Biden was his choice.; 1/10/10, 8:14 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Biden is stupid. He is a cretin, a moron, and an idiot. He belongs in an institution for the mentally handicapped.

He makes Palin look intelligent.; 1/10/10, 10:06 PM