Vice Presidential Picks

The VP picks this year strike me as particularly amusing. First, Barack Obama taps Sen. Joe Biden, a guy who's been in the Senate for 35 years (since he was 30) and who voted for the Iraq war authorization. Not exactly "change we can believe in."

Then John McCain picks Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to join his ticket. Mrs. Palin is the one term Governor of Alaska, prior to which she served as Mayor of Wasilla, a city with a population of fewer than 6,000 people. Not exactly experienced leadership.

Biden, of course, brings experience and realpolitik to the Obama ticket, grounding what is often easily dismissed as more rhetorical style than substance.

Palin, on the other hand, reinforces the McCain brand as a maverick reformer while bringing some much needed youth to the ticket.

Both VP candidates also bring some unwanted baggage, though. Palin has been accused of abusing the power of her office in a manner eerily reminiscent of the way some people were fired from the Department of Justice.

Past scandals ruined Biden's previous attempts at the White House, and he's known around town as a hothead with a hair-trigger tongue.

The race is still polling close to the margin of error, with Obama inching ahead by about 3.5 points on average. Obama didn't get a bump from the Biden pick. It will be interesting to see if Palin is able to do anything for McCain.

For now, though, I'm dying for the Vice Presidential debates to begin.

[UPDATE] Mr. Gergen is also a bit surprised.

“You could have knocked me over with a feather,” said David Gergen, a former White House adviser in both Republican and democratic administrations, on CNN. “John McCain likes to take risks and this is one of the biggest gambles I’ve seen in a long, long time.”