Joe Biden is laying plans to significantly shrink the role of the vice presidency in Barack Obama’s White House, according to an official familiar with his thinking.
It’s not just that Biden won’t sit in on Senate Democrats’ weekly caucus meetings – a privilege Republicans afforded outgoing Vice President Dick Cheney. He won’t have an office outside the House floor, as House Speaker Dennis Hastert gave Cheney early on.
Biden will not begin every day with his own intelligence briefing before sitting in on the president’s. He will not always be the last person Obama speaks to before making a decision.
He also will not, as a transition official calls it, operate a “shadow government” within an Obama administration [Carol E. Lee, "Biden to Shrink VP Role—Big Time," Politico.com, 2008.12.14].
O.K., it's not much smaller government, but we'll know exactly who's in charge. I told you Obama was the Alpha Male.
It definitely signals a necessary change from this administration. So necessary it was simply fun to watch George see a shoe fly his way. A bruise would have been nice.
ReplyDeleteI have a completely different take on this. Biden won't be in the loop when Obama takes office, he will be simply a PR person to attend funerals, dinners, etc and wave a hand at the press occasionally. I am surprised that Biden has agreed to this. Obama, the Messiah, will be in complete control which is what O has planned all along. I hope Biden is kept enough in the loop though that he could take over if ever needed though.
ReplyDeleteAnd saying that O is going to have smaller gov't is the biggest joke I've heard. Fed gov't is expanding by leaps and bounds and will do even more so under the O.
Someone reminded me just lately about the tenth amendment to the Constitution that states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The fed gov’t thinks it is the omnipotent, the be all/end all, the savior of our every want and need. There is a great danger here in giving too much power to the federal gov’t. The old saying, what one gives one can take away, applies here. The fed gov’t was never meant to have the power it thinks it has in these days, and O will only expand that power and savior aspect from the feds. And poor ole Biden is only along for the ride because he wasn’t felt to be a threat to the great O.
Hey kids,
ReplyDeleteHere's today's civics lesson: The term "camel jockey" IS A RACIAL SLUR.
Anon 10:09, grow up and join the modern world.
Anon 6:11: Oh darn, a President who's in complete control.
ReplyDelete