Whoa - I hadn't heard this before

[gateley]

Obama Could Dump Biden for Clinton as VP in 2012
Democratic strategists say Obama doesn't need Biden for foreign policy issues anymore

By Kenneth T. Walsh
Posted February 5, 2010

Democratic strategists say that if President Obama's re-election prospects look shaky, he could dump Vice President Joe Biden from the 2012 national ticket and choose Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate.

It's inside-Washington speculation at this point, but the strategists make a good case for such a shift. "Biden was named in the first place to shore up Obama on foreign policy issues, and Obama doesn't need that anymore," says a former Clinton adviser. That's because Obama has learned the ropes and has assembled a strong foreign policy and national security team including Robert Gates as defense secretary, Jim Jones as White House national security adviser, and Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

Elevating Clinton to the vice presidential slot would accomplish several objectives: It would appeal to female voters and the still-powerful cadre of Clinton admirers, give Obama more of a pragmatic luster, and shunt the gaffe-prone Biden aside. And it would theoretically discourage Clinton, a former senator from New York, from challenging Obama in the 2012 primaries, Democratic insiders say, because as vice president she would be considered Obama's heir for 2016. Clinton would be 69 that year, the same age as Ronald Reagan when he won the presidency in 1980.

As for Clinton, she has said that she doesn't plan to serve as secretary of state longer than four years, but so far she has expressed no interest in another presidential run. She was the favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 but lost to Obama after a long series of primaries and caucuses.A White House strategist attributed the speculation about Biden and Clinton to "cocktail party chatter" and said Obama is "very pleased" with Biden's job performance.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/obama/2010/02/05/obama-could-dump-biden-for-clinton-as-vp-in-2012.html;;

[jillan]

1. That would be really really stupid.

I like Hillary - ALOT - but if Obama thinks that she is going to bring him higher numbers than Biden, that would be a huge mistake.
People like Joe...yes even those on the other side. He's a blue collar guy, down to earth. People are sick of the Clintons....and with this anti-establishment sentiment out there - why would he pick Hillary?
US News tends to be right leaning and I bet they are just trying to stir up crap.

[gateley]

4. I think it's just opinions of democratic "strategists", so I don't think that it's

really anything official that's come out of O's office. I think it would be a mistake, too, so I'm glad I don't really believe it. But yikes, it's the first time I'd ever seen this even floated, my eyes popped out of my head when I saw it!

[elleng]

8. It sounds like someone who wants to MISTREAT/TRAIN an animal.

(Watching dog whisperer!) Its perfectly WRONG, for everyone concerned.

[jillan]

2. Read this instead - EJ Dionne loves Joe Biden

I noticed that in the primaries as well

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020302913.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

[gateley]

5. Cool -- thanks! nt

[PatSeg]

10. Yes he does

"Off-message, Biden found the right message." Good for him!

[elleng]

3. 'Democratic strategists' are NOT.

I'm ill.

[gateley]

6. Yeah, they're like the Chuck Todds of the world who have decided to put a (D)

behind their names. They have differing opinions.

Are you ill ill, or ill at the thought of this? Should I FedEx some chicken soup? :-)

[elleng]

7. Ill at the thought.

Watching snow fall, and thinking of chicken soup I made last week! Thanks!

[PatSeg]

9. Sounds like DC gossip to me

Notice that the article doesn't mention any names - "Democratic strategists" and "inside-Washington" speculation. I think someone is just trying to stir things up. Geez.

[gateley]

11. I'm not sure it's even at the level of gossip, just something to say to get

a spark ignited.

[PatSeg]

12. Couldn't find anything else interesting to write about

so why not create some controversy. The guy was probably out at a bar and some drunk said, "Obama should just dump Biden and make Hillary his VP."

[gateley]

13. Agree. O has Joe doing lots of stuff, and he's doing it well. Plus,

I don't think ANYBODY beats Joe in the foreign relations department -- he's just had too much experience and forged so many relationships.

[PatSeg]

14. He hasn't been too shabby on domestic

issues either. Joe is adept at so many things.

[gateley]

15. I was almost tempted to post a thread asking

'if your candidate had become President, how would things be different today?' -- and I was going to include ALL the candidates. Because... I was thinking that if Joe was Prez, I think we wouldn't be seeing as much partisanship as we are seeing now (there seems to be such an irrational level of opposition to Obama), I think we would have moved further ahead in the health care reform, and we know Joe felt economy had to be number one, so ... :shrug:

And the reason I was reminded of this after reading your post is that I had been thinking - Joe is so good in SO MANY areas.

[PatSeg]

16. That would be an interesting thread

though it might turn into a flame-fest.

People who don't know Joe that well probably don't realize how versatile and informed he is. He is so informal and easy going, people often mistake that for being a light-weight.

[gateley]

17. Yeah, I think it would be dicey trying to get people to actually

post how they think it might be without others telling them how stupid their first choice was. Sigh. Anyway, WE know that we'd be doing just fine with Joe at the helm (which we can't say for all of the others).

[PatSeg]

18. I'm afraid we might end up reliving the primaries,

somewhere that no one wants to go, at least no one who is sane.

Like you said, WE know and for now that is enough.