The Obama Prototype

Well, it’s official. Senator Obama chose Senator Biden, Delaware, as his vice presidential running mate. The decision has been dissected, vetted and spun by the press. Certainly his experience will have some impact on the contest. More than likely it will be marginal.

Senator McCain will announce his decision this week. Unless he selects a liberal, pro-choice partner, the impact will be nearly identical.

Vice presidential nominees play about the same role as cheer leaders in national sporting events. They are choreographed promoters and paid defenders of the team. They suit up for the game and step into the limelight for a few months before disappearing.

They echo the game plan defined by the coaches and quarterback. They are there to cheer. They don’t even have to believe in the message. Enthusiastic lip service is the only required commitment. They end up spending most of their time accusing the opponent of committing infractions. Baby sitters have more responsibility.

The entire process is a silly diversion. It keeps the media entertained and the talking heads employed. What’s-their-names will appear on bumper stickers, eat a lot of chicken and sleep with their megaphones. But when the sun comes up in mid-September, it will still be Obama vs. McCain.

It’s unclear why vice presidential debates are held. The participants aren’t allowed to voice original thoughts. No one expects them to contradict the party line, and they won’t. The nation would be better served with more presidential question and answer bouts.

But it’s easy to be stampeded by the media hoopla. Maybe it’s a saving grace. At least, the selection process is a distraction from the current economic reality. While the nation faces an energy crisis of epic proportions, Congress is on vacation. So by default the media is discussing vice presidents.

Only the truly stupid don’t relate the rising unemployment and the near meteoric inflation of consumer goods to the cost of energy. That’s the noose around every American’s neck. It needs immediate resolution.

So what are we hearing? McCain doesn’t know how many houses his wife owns and Obama isn’t supporting the results of his father’s libido. It’s an outrage that these distractions and the VP beauty contest are headlining the news.

Potentially, neither vice president will have as much impact on this election as Speaker Pelosi. If Americans recognize that Pelosi and a handful of Democrats are playing environmental roulette with the nation’s well-being, the election is over.

Single handedly she will defeat Senator Obama, again, if the voters realize that she is the prototype for what he aspires to be. He is nothing more than a Pelosi clone. And next to Senator Obama, she is the scariest politician on our shores. Compared to her, Senator Biden is a footnote.