R.I.P. The Biden Campaign

It's been six months since I've posted and I have no reason to expect anyone to read this. But it should surprise no one who read my last entry that I'm saddened that Joe Biden has dropped out of the race. He was always a long shot and I knew that. But the unexpected sometimes happens in politics and I was hoping this would be one of those times. Joe has the experience in foreign policy that we sorely need (and that no other candidate from either party has, save John McCain) and the combination of good sense combined with a deep knowledge of the issues that makes him (to my mind) the person we need in the Oval Office. But he's done now and I need to accept that and move on. As a Democrat, there are really only two possibilities: Hillary and Obama. And the truth is that I'd be happy with either as president. Hell, I might even be content with Mike Huckabee as president (although I didn't agree with everything he did as governor of my state, he was sometimes inspiring in his ability to put aside politics and just do the right thing). McCain I could live with but I'll need a truckload of Prozac if Romney or Thompson is in the White House.

Mostly, I'd be happy to have a president that well-intentioned people from both parties could respect. From where I stand, that means that we'd better elect Obama, (maybe) Edwards, McCain, Huckabee or (maybe) Giuliani as our next leader. (I think there is no good reason for Hillary to not be respected by both parties--and people who have followed her record in the Senate and her ability to reach across party lines there should agree that she's generally respectable--but that reality hasn't seemed to sink into the perspective of the standard Republican, so that's why I'm not considering her to be someone who would be respected by members of both parties.)

Still, I think Joe might have done more to bring people together than any of these folks. God speed, Senator Biden; and R.I.P the Biden Campaign.