American Prayer - Obama Biden 08

Here's to moving forward. Obama Biden 08!
In the vein of Yes We Can, here is American Prayer

More about the video from producer Dave Stewart

Housegate is Rich

It occurs to me that housegate needs to be more than THE narrative. The fact that McCain has 7 or 9 houses will get boring quick.

The democrats have to show that this is just one of the ways McCain is hoodwinking the American public into thinking that Obama's the elitist and McCain's the working person's hero. 

It's the other way around.

McCain's tax policy says it all. His willingness to war around any chance he gets also says he doesn't have economy on his mind. The crafter of his economic policy, Phil Gramm, called American's woes a "mental recession." McCain even admitted that economics isn't his strong suit. He's a war president.

The fact that McCain hasn't had to be concerned about gas prices or any prices, and that he gets along swell with the likes of the richest folks in the nation (Saddleback Church), says he's in the pocket of the wealthy. But he's managed to shine the light on Obama and convince people that Obama is the elitist. 

One needs only to read Dreams From My Father to know Obama is not an elitist. Sure, he has a big house too and nice clothes and his wife and children are well taken care of, but elitism isn't part of Obama's DNA. Unfortunately, McCain has been successful in using patriotism and race to distract from the real Clueless Wonder. At the same time he has exploited his hero-ness, his POW status for political gain (that works with older folks).

It also occurs to me that the election is no longer just about Obama and McCain. It's about the parties. Obama's vice presidential pick -- Joe Biden -- reinforces Obama's good judgement and is sure to boost America's confidence in Obama's foreign policy.

Housegate kicks off the ideological battle between the republicans and the democrats. Put simply, it's a question of what Americans want: A government that works for the people or one that props up the rich.

How the McCain's housing situation is playing out.

Joe Biden

Update: It's official 

Update: CNN got the scoop first, won't reveal sources. Not official from the Obama camp till the morrow. 

Update: It's Biden. 

Update: Secret Service dispatched to Biden. 

Now that it's looking 99% Joe Biden as Obama vice president, Here's feisty Joe. (Obama camp says he will announce tomorrow AM)
Biden in the early debates

Biden for Obama, Graham for McCain

Biden addresses firefighters, tells the story about how his wife and daughter were killed

Biden on the "surge"

Biden on Iraq

Biden's son is off to Iraq

Biden's speechiness

Looking at Planes it Looks Like Vice President Biden

Update 5: Biden called for a sub to teach his class tomorrow.

Update 4: Reuters says Tim Kaine and Evan Bayh are out. 

Update 3: CNN says Biden family in gear. 

Update 2: from flight blogger tying the NetJets flight (meanwhile, CNN staked outside of Biden's home):

UPDATE 8/22 8:03 PM: A few additional clues here: NetJets chief shareholder is Warren Buffett who has praised Obama and CEO Richard Santuilli is a big Democratic donor. Oh, and here's the aircraft - N863QS.

Update: I'm following Ambinder, who's twittering at the convention. He says Biden on the move. 

Original post
This from flight blogger (by way of Marc Ambinder), who is watching the Obama and McCain planes for signs. Apparently, Kerry's pick of John Edwards was revealed this way:

In 2004, a post on an aviation forum revealed Kerry's pick when someone at PIT spotted Kerry-Edwards decals being affixed to the chartered 757.

UPDATE 8/22 5:33PM: On the other side of the aisle, and maybe I'm reading too deeply into these picks, but a flightplan was just filed to Wilmington, DE (New Casltle) from Chicago, IL (Midway) on a Netjets Hawker 800. Obama has been in Chicago all day. A Delaware departure could mean Senator Biden is his number two. I figured I'd go on record here with more speculation.

This TV news site is reporting that Obama/Bayh bumper stickers have been made (some have pointed out they're too ugly to be part of the campaign). I'm not enthusiastic about Bayh.

What We Know About Obama's Vice President

Now we know Obama has called or is finishing up making calls to those on the shortlist and we know that Obama has chosen his vice president and we know that that person knows.

We also know that his vice president could be Joe Biden, Tim Kaine, Jack Reed, Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, or maybe darkhorse, Pelosi's fave, Texas Congressman Chet Edwards or another surprise. We know it's not likely to be Hillary, or Chuck Hagel. We know that Obama will campaign with his his veep tomorrow. Really, no one knows anything at all except that we'll know tomorrow. 

Now what I'm wondering is when the text might come? Tonight, tomorrow morning?: 
Here's some info on Edwards

CNN: Rep. Chet Edwards said Friday that the campaign had vetted him but that he hasn't talked to Obama.

Edwards, 56, is a nine-term congressman representing the central Texas district that includes President Bush's ranch near Crawford.

This month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touted Edwards as a dark horse contender for the No. 2 spot on the ticket.

The presumptive Democratic nominee is working Friday in Chicago, Illinois, on his address at next week's Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. He has no public events scheduled for Friday and will launch a string of rallies with his running mate on Saturday in Springfield, Illinois.

Obama said Thursday that he had made his decision but declined to give any further details.

Here's Edwards on the issues.

Obama and Kaine Meetup in Virginia

From the local papers. Of course, Obama is still mum. He has to announce via text! If Obama is going for all the change he can get, he'll choose Tim Kaine.

Hampton Roads: Barack Obama wrapped up a question-and-answer session with several hundred supporters in Chesapeake on Thursday night, fielding questions on topics ranging from the drug trade to mental health care and the balance between civil liberties and national security.

The Democratic presidential candidate is leaving Virginia without answering one big question, however: Will Gov. Timothy M. Kaine be his running mate? Obama is expected to announce his vice presidential choice at any moment.

In addition to Obama supporters, hordes of reporters and photographers showed up, taking up about half the floor space in the gym at Oscar Smith High School. Despite word that all tickets to the free event were gone, some people showed up hoping to get in anyway.

Earlier today, Obama appeared alongside Kaine at a campaign stop outside Richmond that concluded without the candidate publicly proposing a political marriage of the two as running mates.

Obama Says He's Decided on Vice President

He told USA Today that he's decided on his vice president but won't say anything else. He said he's looking for a sparring partner:

He said he was looking for not just a partner but a sparring partner. "I want somebody who's independent, somebody who can push against my preconceived notions and challenge me so we have got a robust debate in the White House."

Nunn Not Obama's Vice President

CNN: It appears Sam Nunn, the former Georgia senator and a leading Democratic expert on foreign policy issues, can safely be crossed off the list of Barack Obama's potential running mates.

Nunn spokeswoman Kathy Gwin confirms to CNN the former senator will be out of the country through Monday — far from Springfield, Illinois, where Obama is expected to hold a rally with his newly-named VP Saturday.

Tim Kaine Looks Happy

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine looks pleased this morning. He and Obama met yesterday while Obama was campaigning in Virginia. Of all the vice presidential candidates, Kaine has the most fire, or at least is more talented at conveying passion, and seems to be most aligned with Obama.

Obama's Vice President Evan Bayh?

I had a dream about Obama's vice presidential pick. Now you know where my head is -- crazy. Despite Obama choosing "Irving" in my dream, a surprise vice presidential pick, I have no insights. Sorry. Apparently, Time magazine has concluded that his choice will be Sen. Evan Bayh or someone not on the circulated shortlist. From Politico: 

The cover of Time is 'Special Issue: The Democrats,' with a DEBUT COLUMN BY MIKE MURPHY and a very tight cover shot of Senator Obama. Time's Karen Tumulty concluded, based on comments he made in an interview for the cover package, that his veep pick is 'either Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana (low profile, both executive and foreign policy experience, but a supporter of the Iraq War), or a surprise whose name has not been circulating on the pundits' short lists.'

Obama told Karen and David Von Drehle, when asked what the pick would tell the country about himself: 'Hopefully, the same thing that my campaign has told the American people about me. That I think through big decisions. I get a lot of input from a lot of people, and that ultimately, I try to surround myself with people who are about getting the job done, and who are not about ego, self-aggrandizement, getting their names in the press, but our focus on what's best for the American people.

'I think people will see that I'm not afraid to have folks around me who complement my strengths and who are independent. I'm not a believer in a government of yes-men. I think one of the failures of the early Bush Administration was being surrounded by people who were unwilling to deliver bad news, or who were prone to simply feed the president information that confirmed his own preconceptions.'

Here's Time's in-depth look on his veep thinking and other stuff.

There has also been some criticism that you've helped fuel that idea that the election is about you — for example, with the huge rallies.
You know, Karen, I give full credit to the Karl Rove acolytes who are working for John McCain and one of their general strategies is to try to turn strengths into weaknesses. The enthusiasm and involvement at the grass roots that we've seen in my campaign, I consider a strength. That's one of the reasons we are able to compete in 18 states, but those crowds and those rallies, those people have not come out because of my speechmaking.

They've come out because they understand what's at stake in this election. And that's not going to change, and we have small town halls or we have round tables like we had this morning, whatever the venue, the message is going to be the same, that somebody needs to be fighting for America's families in Washington. We've got to stop having the agenda set by special interests and lobbyists and I'm the person who's best equipped to bring that change about.

More VP buzz buzz
Bayh goes head to head with Gov. of Minnesota and possible McCain veep Tim Pawlenty.
Bayh's bag incident
Bayh's risk and rewards:

Bayh’s support of authorizing force in Iraq stands in sharp contrast to Obama’s oft-stated view that he showed the good judgment to oppose the conflict from the start. After his vote, Bayh in early 2003 joined McCain as an honorary co-chairman of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, which made regime change in Iraq its central cause.

“He was not only wrong, he was aggressively wrong,” said Tom Andrews, national director of the Win Without War coalition, referring to Bayh. “In my view, he would contradict if not undermine the Obama message of change, turning a new page on foreign policy and national security.”

Bayh was unavailable for an interview, but his spokesman, Eric Kleiman, contrasted his evolution on the war with the position of McCain, saying that McCain has said he would cast the same vote again. “Sen. Bayh has shown the judgment that we need to admit that mistakes were made and we need to learn from them,” Kleiman said.

Obama to Announce VP Friday

CBS News has confirmed that Barack Obama's campaign now plans to announce Obama's vice presidential choice to supporters via email and text message on Friday afternoon. (This plan could change, of course.)

He will then appear with his running mate at noon the next day in Springfield, Illinois, CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder reports.

Ralph Nader Says Obama Will Choose Hillary

Wouldn't that be a surprise! Can you imagine the PUMA reaction?
But Nader doesn't know anything. He has never liked Obama -- I think it's that jealousy thing -- and simply wants to get his name in the news.

Politico: Count Ralph Nader as unimpressed by the crop of supposed finalists to be Barack Obama’s running mate.

“I don’t think he’s that dumb,” said Nader, commenting on widespread speculation that Obama’s choices are down to Sens. Joe Biden, Evan Bayh, or Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine.

The smart pick, according to Nader, is Hillary Rodham Clinton. Nader phoned into Politico Tuesday afternoon to offer his prediction that a surprise nod to Clinton is actually what Obama has in store—never mind the talk of mistrust between the Clintons and Obama.

“He just has to swallow hard and do what JFK did” in picking rival Lyndon Johnson in 1960, said the liberal activist and maverick presidential candidate.

According to Nader’s logic, Obama may dislike Hillary, but will conclude he has no choice but to get over it if he hopes to leave next week’s convention in Denver with a unified party and a decent shot against John McCain in the fall: “The polls show 25 percent of her supporters have not gotten on board.”

“He’s got to be very concerned by the [neck-in-neck] polls and by what happened at Saddleback,” added Nader, referring to the recent candidates forum hosted by evangelist Rick Warren. “He got beat in Saddleback—big time.”

Considering that she's fundraising at the convention, it doesn't seem likely.

CNN: Hillary Clinton has announced she will award one lucky donor a trip to the convention – with her. And in case that’s not incentive enough, Bill Clinton sent an e-mail to potential contributors promising a memorable week with his wife.

“You’ll get to see Hillary speak on Tuesday, and Barack Obama – the next president of the United States – on Thursday. And I hear Hillary and you will have a chat – I’ll make sure to stop by.” Makes you want to borrow against your house.

I mentioned Hillary Clinton’s doing her best to take title to the convention? Clinton will have her name placed into nomination and there will be a roll call vote. She gets her own prime-time speaking slot. She will be introduced by her daughter, Chelsea. The video preceding her will be produced by her own production company – the same bunch that did the “Man From Hope,” for Bill Clinton. Oh, and he’s going to speak too. All this for the loser in the race.

Obama is ON

Obama is riled up. He's in fight mode. 

At the town hall now in North Carolina Obama said if McCain wants to track down Osama bin Laden, all he has to do is go to Afghanistan.

Someone brought their "Goodnight Bush" book to wave in front of the camera. 

Someone asked about how Obama will use a vice president. Here's what he said paraphrased: 

I won't hand over my energy policy to vp. I won't have my vp engineering foreign policy (like Cheney). The buck will stop with me because I'll be the president. Integrity is key. In politics for the right reasons. Someone who is independent, someone who'll say I think you're wrong on this. A key adviser. Someone who's capable of being president. Someone who shares the passion of making American people's lives better. Somebody who's mad right now that people are losing their jobs, somebody who believes we have to grow this country from the bottom up. 

Now I'm leaning Tim Kaine. Earlier in the day, I thought Joe Biden. 
I'll post video when it's up.

Tim Kaine Shreds Karl Rove

Obama Has Chosen Vice President Pool of 3

Tim Kaine was my choice but I think Obama now needs a national security powerhouse. Too many people perceive Obama to be weaker than McCain on national security. It's too bad really. The announcement is expected to be made via text message early in the morning to get the most news.

NYT: WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama has all but settled on his choice for a running mate and set an elaborate rollout plan for his decision, beginning with an early morning alert to supporters, perhaps as soon as Wednesday morning, aides said.

Mr. Obama’s deliberations remain remarkably closely held. Aides said perhaps a half-dozen advisers were involved in the final discussions in an effort to enforce a command that Mr. Obama issued to staff members: that his decision not leak out until supporters are notified.

Mr. Obama had not notified his choice — or any of those not selected — of his decision as of late Monday, advisers said. Going into the final days, Mr. Obama was said to be focused mainly on three candidates: Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware.

More Obama Vice President Clues

The announcement could come as late as the weekend, says his peeps, which doesn't really say anything at all. That's just a tease. I'm rolling with Joe Biden for today.

Politico: “I just get the sense with Obama that he has a clear set of priorities in his own mind that have nothing to do with ups-and-downs of the campaign,” said Democratic consultant Dan Gerstein, who thinks Obama’s focus on generational change doesn’t preclude his picking an older, more seasoned running mate.

“It won’t be dictated by age,” Gerstein speculated. “He doesn’t need someone who is young, but it’s got to be someone who is not part of the baby boom, partisan culture wars" of the past two decades.

At the same time, though, Obama has a more immediate concern: reassuring voters who might cast ballots for him — such as older working-class white Democrats, independents and some Republicans — but who have thus far remained skeptical of his candidacy, that he is a safe, acceptable choice.

“The vice presidential pick is always more about telling voters what kind of a potential president the nominee will be, and it’s even more important for Obama than it has been for past nominees,” said Chris Lehane, a Democratic consultant. “Obama's central challenge in this election is to make a certain group of voters comfortable with him in terms of who he is as it relates to being able to do the job. And the vice presidential pick — along with the convention and debates — stands as one of the three tent-foundation events in the general [election] to connect with voters about who he is.”

All the people on the shortlist, aren't necessarily on Obama's shortlist. The only person known to be vetted is Chris Dodd. Hagel's most certainly out. He said he wasn't attending either convention. Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder have done a great job at keeping the process under wraps:

Despite a steady drone of speculation, little is actually known about Obama’s considerations. Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd is the only aspirant to confirm he’s being vetted by Obama’s search team, led by Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder. Kaine has told associates he’s being vetted but has not publicly confirmed it. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius at first denied it, then ceased denying it — which was seized on as evidence that she is being considered. Biden and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh have declined to comment on whether they’re being vetted, but both are widely thought to be under consideration.

Two Republicans who are close to Obama, Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar and Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, have also been mentioned, and Lugar — whom Obama cited along with Nunn at the nationally televised candidates forum on Saturday as someone whose counsel he would value if elected president — drew attention on CNN on Sunday by defending Obama against attacks from Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. Read more.

Obama Will Win If Two Things Happen

1) He chooses a national security powerhouse as vice president.
2) The younger people, who say they are going to vote for Obama, actually do.

Normally, a vice president doesn't matter much but this isn't a normal election. Obama has huge obstacles, battling the republican hate machine and confronting the ongoing undermining by the Clintons and the Clinton democrats.

I used to think Obama would win in a landslide. Now I think, if Obama wins, it will be a major feat, a remarkable win.

Obama can't choose Tim Kaine as his vice president. Obama is perceived as weak on national security because he lacks military experience.

That perception is compounded by the fact that for the past 7 years, Americans have been led to be fearful, and to many, McCain looks like a guy that can run down an enemy. Saddleback further proved McCain's emotional readiness. 

I could see McCain personally executing Osama bin Laden. He's also just as likely to hunt down new enemies and goad others into being enemies. He's an old line thinker.

We have become a nation transfixed on nothing else but the enemy.

If Obama is able to align himself with a vice president perceived to chop an enemy to little bits, then more people would feel comfortable voting for him. In my short history of writing about politics, it's apparent that it's all about perceptions. It's all about the sound bite, too. People don't want to hear shades of an issue. It's perceived as weakness. They want yes or no. The media too. 

Younger people will have to come out in force to balance the older folks, many of whom just don't get Obama or have prejudices. No amount of show and tell would help change the minds of these older voters. Many of the older folks still equate patriotism with military. They don't see patriotism in any other way and the republican hate machine has already gotten to most of these voters. 

When people go to the polls in November, they won't be voting on economics, even though they complain about the price of milk and gas. They'll vote on safety and security. It's been a rough 7 years.

By November, we will have had another terrorist threat, a strengthening Russia, or maybe North Korea or some other country will throw itself into the stew. It's a volatile world and the Bush administration hasn't helped ease tensions anywhere in the world.

Many older Americans want to feel safe first and foremost. They are the ones who reliably vote. But they want to hear tough talk and war for them is patriotic. They like talk of war. It makes them feel proud. 

Younger Americans want to feel safe as well but they view safety differently. They understand that national security hinges on diplomatic relations, negotiating with other countries and leading by example. War is a last resort.

There is one other thing that could trip up Obama and that's if racism is more rampant than it appears. I'm not ready to go there yet.

Joe Biden Obama's Vice President?

Update: Biden's foreign policy chops. 

In our ongoing pursuit of guessing who Obama's veep is going to be, NYT says at least Sen. Joe Biden wants the job. Biden is slated to speak at the democratic convention on the same night Obama's vice president will speak. But so is Sen. Evan Bayh.

NYT: Only Mr. Obama and a handful of close and very discreet aides know where the vice-presidential selection process stands with the Democratic National Convention in Denver just a week away. But several people close to the campaign say Mr. Biden, of Delaware, is among those who are under consideration.

Political etiquette requires potential vice-presidential picks to deny any interest in the post and assert how much they love their present job, all the while coyly batting their eyelashes at the nominee to signal their availability.

But Mr. Biden, anything but coy, has left little doubt that he wants the job.

Asked in May whether he would accept the vice-presidential slot, he said, “You’d have to consider it. I mean, how could you just blow it off?”

A month later, he was asked again. He first told Brian Williams of NBC on “Meet the Press,” “I am not interested in the vice presidency.” But with very little prodding, a moment later he said that if Mr. Obama asked him to be his running mate, “Of course I’ll say yes.”

Mr. Biden’s strengths and weaknesses as a vice-presidential nominee are glaringly obvious and in many cases overlap. At age 65, he would bring heft, knowledge and nearly four decades of experience in Washington to a ticket headed by a relative political newcomer. But that experience — he was first elected to the Senate at age 29 and has served for nearly four decades — would undercut Mr. Obama’s image as an agent of change.

I Want Obama Across the Table From Putin

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty asks on Face the Nation: Who do you want sitting across from Vladimir Putin? John McCain, who sees KGB in the eyes of Putin?
Why would I want someone who already sees the enemy?
That leads me to believe that all McCain will do is poke Russia in his way every chance he gets. He's not even in office and he's already provoking Russia.
We've seen McCain get irritated. It happens frequently. Putin already is using Georgia to get back at Bush and would likely continue to do the same with McCain with his "We're all Georgians" talk.
McCain can talk but he can't walk the walk on that one and he shouldn't have meddled to the extent he did.
I want Obama to be sitting across the table Putin or Dmitri Medvedev.
Obama will be tough and smart. He's clearly the person with better judgment. That's what we need. Not a war hero. We want to avoid wars not start them.
McCain is too black and white. Obama can think in the gray areas and he can do it with a calm head.
The problem is many Americans will run for the John McCain lever when the Bush administration plays the terrorist card near election time. Bush WILL play that card. No doubt.

Now I'm convinced that Obama needs a vice president with big national security credentials. Vice presidents usually don't matter but this is not your typical election. Obama's choice needs to be someone that Americans trust. Americans won't vote on the economy, despite what they say and despite what pollsters say. We'll be voting on national security, no matter how much we complain about the economy. 

Biden Heads to Georgia

Sen. Joe Biden, considered an Obama vice president short lister, is headed to Georgia at the request of its president.

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and thought to be on Barack Obama’s short list for vice president, is headed to Georgia Saturday night.

His spokesman, Elizabeth Alexander said, “At the request of Georgian president (Mikhail) Saakashvilli, Chairman Biden is heading to Georgia this weekend. He is leaving this evening and will be there Sunday.”

No other Senators are traveling with him.

Countdown's Keith Olbermann is saying Biden is likely to be Obama's vice president.