Matt Schiavenza From the Dragon to the Apple- A Sinophile in New York

Joe-mentum

I'm of two minds regarding Barack Obama's selection of Joseph Biden as his running mate. To articulate my mental struggle, here's an imaginary dialogue:

A- Great pick. Biden shores up Obama's inexperience with foreign policy, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He also has been among the most intelligent and rational thinkers on the Iraq War and is one of the few to propose something resembling a concrete solution- soft partition. Biden will be an asset to Obama's foreign policy team, and foreign policy is one area in which the executive branch has enormous control.

B- Yes, Biden does have an impressive background in foreign policy, but remember he voted to authorize the Iraq War. Doesn't this undercut Obama's emphasis on having been right about Iraq the whole time? Also, as sensible as soft partition may have seemed, remember that the idea has been roundly rejected by the Iraqi government and is now essentially a non-starter. Shouldn't America's No. 2 at least have some clout with al-Maliki and co.?

A- Would anyone, really, have any clout? I suppose if McCain were to nominate David Petraeus, then, but that's unlikely to happen. The point is, Biden has gravitas and experience. He'll reassure voters who like Obama but might be unwilling to pull the trigger based on his inexperience. Also, his long membership of the Senate could lead to legislative breakthroughs.

B- Biden's experience would indeed be valuable from a policy making standpoint, but his long association with Washington goes against Obama's "change" mantra, doesn't it? It's hard to imagine a shake-up of establishment Washington emerging from a Vice President who has been there since the Nixon Administration.

A- True, but frankly- John McCain is a Washington man himself, so Obama-Biden probably gets the "outsider" label by default. Plus, Biden's outgoing manner might distract the media from their cozy relationship with McCain. Biden has never been shy about expressing his viewpoints, and that's a welcome relief for the tightly-controlled Obama campaign.

B- Never been shy, true, but to a fault. It was Biden, of course, who infamously called Obama an "articulate black guy" during the primary campaign. And don't forget his 1988 campaign, derailed first by his silly "IQ" exchange with a voter and then by a plagiarism scandal.

A- Biden's not perfect, but then again, nobody is. I always appreciated his ability to treat American voters as adults, and he's a welcome contrast to the substance-free John Edwards of 2004.

B- Good point. Nobody's worse than Edwards.

If I could have anyone as Obama's running mate, it'd be Virginia Senator James Webb. Like Obama, Webb was a vocal opponent of the Iraq War, a Washington neophyte, and as an ex-Republican he encapsulates Obama's "post-partisanship" message. He also represents a crucial swing state, appeals to white male voters leery of Obama, and has refreshing candor. Unfortunately, Webb removed himself from consideration a couple of months ago. The remaining choices weren't great, and Biden doesn't excite anyone.

Then again, Biden may make voters less skittish about the prospect of one Barack Obama in the White House, and possesses a good combination of seriousness and charisma. Not knowing whom McCain might pick, it's difficult imagining anyone taking Biden to the cleaner's in a debate. But we'll see.