Ok, the Joe Biden thing

Steve Clemons wrote a piece for the Huffington Post on why he thinks Biden is the right choice for VP; I'm inclined to agree. I don't have too many strong feelings about Biden one way or the other, but I've liked more of the things he's said and done than I've disliked.

I especially agree with Clemons' argument that those who rail that Biden is too much of an "insider"

should remember what happened to Jimmy Carter when he tried to be the total outsider who was going to wreck Washington's ways and do it differently. He had no insider to help him maintain the success of looking like an outsider.

I noticed this with Bill Clinton, too, and I've been a little worried about the "outsider" aspects of Obama's campaign. I understand their appeal--believe me, I understand their appeal--but the cold hard fact of the matter is:

In order to get anything done in Washington, you've got to have insiders have your back too. That's why I think this is a canny choice. Or to get back to Clemons:

There are many reasons why Joe Biden was exactly the right guy for Obama, but the biggest reason is that Biden's competence will help Obama be able to remain Obama.