FL Sun-Sentinel: For Obama's vice president: What about Bob? Graham, that is

[seafan]

For Obama's vice president: What about Bob? Graham, that is

Kingsley Guy | COLUMNIST
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

June 12, 2008

With the presidential nominating battles over, the presidential candidates are turning their attention to two vitally important questions: who to choose as a running mate, and how to win Florida in the November general election.
Given the importance of Florida's electoral votes in presidential politics, the two questions tend to overlap.

If he's elected, John McCain would be 72 years old by the time he's inaugurated. Although McCain right now has the energy of the Energizer Bunny, age is an issue and he needs a younger running mate.
Charlie Crist, Florida's popular governor whose support of McCain helped him win the Florida primary, is on the short list. Crist is 51, and a McCain-Crist ticket would be hard to beat in the Sunshine State.

A Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Bob Graham, however, would even the odds. Elected twice as Florida's governor and thrice as a U.S. senator, the Graham name stands as the gold standard in Florida politics.

As the state's chief executive, Graham governed from the center and drew support from diverse constituencies, including business and environmental interests. He sought consensus, and his eight-year gubernatorial tenure was scandal-free.
When he arrived in Washington, Graham stood on principle by opposing the pork-barreling of Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd, famous for his ability to bring federal projects, regardless of their merit, to his home state of West Virginia.
At the time, getting on the wrong side of the powerful Byrd was a sure prescription for exile to the senatorial equivalent of Siberia, and Graham all but disappeared from sight. But he persevered, and when Democrats held the Senate from 2001-2003, he served as chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

Throughout his senatorial career, Graham tended toward hawkishness when it came to national security, but he opposed the war in Iraq, a position that would play well with the Democratic base. From his vantage point on the Intelligence Committee, Graham didn't believe the data backed up President Bush's call for invasion, and he feared getting bogged down in Iraq would damage America's ability to wage war in Afghanistan.

He's anything but charismatic. When he ran for president in 2004, polls put him 10th in a field of 10 Democratic candidates, and he bowed out of the race.
But what he lacks in charisma, Graham makes up for in knowledge, executive ability and common-sense centrism. And, he's about McCain's age, so the GOP can't make that an issue. Besides, he'd be a better father figure for Obama than Jeremiah Wright.

Graham has indicated he would accept a vice presidential nomination. Putting him on the ticket may be the only way Obama can win Florida. And, as Florida goes, so may go the nation.

I agree with the points in this article, most especially the fact that Bob Graham is a well-seasoned executive with the qualities of intellect, judgment, stability and temperament to serve as Obama's right hand as they face the sheer magnitude of the job that awaits our new administration in January, 2009.


It's Obama's show.


As VP, Bob Graham would neither jockey for egotistical attention nor run secret wars and corporate agendas out of his office. He also would not undercut Obama's agenda because of an eye on running a strike-back campaign in 2012.

From the outset, Graham brings deep depth of experience as an executive, a Senator, intelligence guru, and a memory for details that defies challenge.


He is beyond reproach. And what else does he have to show for his political career? He is singularly the most beloved politician in Florida's history.



It does, indeed, appear that he would consider the position.



He'd be a mighty fine running mate for Obama.

[seasat]

1. I originally supported Bob Graham in 2004.

I'm a sucker for a good policy wonk and the guy is encyclopedic in his knowledge. He's probably still the most popular Democrat in Florida. The only caveat I can add that wasn't already mentioned is that he was one of the authors of the Patriot Act. Still, he'd be among my top preferences.

Fortunately, unlike the Repubs, we've got a ton of great choices for VP in our party.

[jobycom]

4. I liked him in 04, too, for those reasons. Also, since he hasn't had a lot of backing for president

he doesn't really anger any of the factions that have developed in recent elections. Many of the top contenders--Clinton, Edwards, Clark, even Richardson--have strong factions, which means they also have strong opponents in other factions. Graham is fairly neutral, yet highly qualified.

I wouldn't mind seeing that.

[iamjoy]

2. Forget Geographical Help

Obama would be very wise to think twice before picking a running mate on geography alone. The last time that worked was 1964. Florida has a lot of newcomers, many of whom may not even know the name Bob Graham.

On the other hand, if he is looking for a running mate to balance his relative youth and perceived inexperience with some one who has four decades of experience in public service...Bob Graham is a good choice. It only helps that Bob Graham, despite being slightly hawkish, got it right on Iraq - and he took the opportunity to vote against it. Bob Graham has real political courage.

Of course, he's boring and possibly obsessive compulsive - have you heard about his diaries? But then, how much more strange is that than keeping a man sized safe in your office?

Oh, and Bob Graham was doing "Work Days" long before the "Work a Day in My Shoes" project.

[jobycom]

5. Good points, though I might quibble a little bit on the geography thing.

Mostly you are right. But still, geography isn't incidental. In 92, Clinton chose Gore partially to strengthen his southern presence, and carrying several southern states helped him win. Obviously, Clinton himself was strong in the South, though, and Gore also complemented him ideologically and in terms of having a national reputation already.

In 2000, Gore chose Lieberman to win Florida, and it worked, aside from the cheating. Not exactly a regional candidate, since Lieberman's connection to Florida was religious and policy-oriented, but still, he targeted a region.

And it's no accident that our last two presidents were southern. For a Democrat, breaking up the Southern block almost ensures a win.

But those are all qualified examples. Each choice helped win a region, but were chosen for a broader purpose. The current strategy now seems to be to choose a mate with a national appeal who strengthens the candidate's attributes, rather than offsetting them (as with JFK/LBJ). Choosing based on region is an outdated, pre-cable-saturation era strategy. But it still can't be completely ignored. Given two equally qualified VP candidates, regional appeal should be considered, at least.

So much strategy goes into a VP choice. It's almost as fun to watch as a good chess match. And twice as boring.

[Max_powers94]

6. I'll take Bob over sam nunn anyday

[jobycom]

3. Aside from the gratuitous bullshit innuendo about Clinton, I agree with that.

He was not only against the invasion of Iraq, but when he ran for president, he said he was doing it to expose Bush over lies he told to lead us into the war. His foreign policy experience and his domestic experience are strong. No one can claim he's unprepared for the job.

And, even though we tend to forget this a bit, the VP does have duties, power, and influence, and Graham is highly qualified to handle those, while still letting Obama set the agenda.

Then, the intangibles. He'd complement Obama's fire and inexperience with an experienced, mature presence that isn't charismatic enough to undermine Obama. He'd make Florida a real possibility, which could wrap up the election if it turns out to be close.

Not a bad option at all. I've thought of him a few times, too, but his age could be a big negative, especially if we all keep practicing ageism against McCain. But that's not a fatal problem.

[seafan]

7. Graham has been vetted four times: 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004

No scandals.


Bloomberg adds pertinent info about Graham:

Many are called for the quadrennial vice presidential sweepstakes but few are chosen. And some are called again, and again, and again.

Former Florida Governor and Senator Bob Graham knows what it's like to be always the groomsman and never the groom. The 71-year-old Democrat was vetted four times for the No. 2 job -- in 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2004.

Graham compared it ``a courtship, where without sending too strong a signal of your affection, you're trying to let your potential partner know you think they're pretty special.''

The truth is, Bob Graham is pretty special, himself.

[nsd]

8. The notebook thing might hurt.

It sounds silly, but it might strike people as weird.

[seafan]

9. Bob was blogging when blogging wasn't cool, lol. n/t

[charlie]

11. Someone on his staff

thought it'd be a good idea to post his diary entries as updates to his site in 2004. The result was charming, but pretty weird. Bob wrote the most bland, cursory accounts of his days, something like, "Went to the Farm Fair today. The weather was warm and I had a nice time. Ate two corn dogs, they were very good..."

[BlackVelvet04]

10. Yeah, it would be great to have one of the authos of the

Patriot Act on the ticket. Go Neocons!

yes, it's sarcasm.

[Shakespeare]

12. Blech. NO.

So many better possibilities than Graham.

[Rowdyboy]

13. If I could pick for Obama, I'd choose Graham.....for his executive, security and international......

experience. Being enormously popular in Florida would be nice but isn't the deciding factor to me, but it certainly doesn't hurt. At 72 he poses no threat to other candidates hoping to run in 2016 which is yet another point in his favor.

[YDogg]

14. He's as old as mccain, isn't he?

I like Graham, but we need someone younger, IMHO.

[dansolo]

15. Graham would be a really good single-term VP

There is nothing that says that Obama can't have 2 different VP's for his two terms. He could tap Graham's experience during his first term, and then pick a successor to groom in his second term.

[seafan]

16. Clarification on authorship of the Patriot Act of 2001:

Bob Graham authored specific sections that were separate from the controversial sections that contained the egregious infringements on civil rights of citizens:


From Graham's bio:

He was a primary author of the portions of the USA PATRIOT Act which mandate greater information sharing among foreign intelligence and domestic law enforcement agencies to help fight a unified war on terrorism. Graham also was the chief sponsor of a five-year plan for bolstering our intelligence capabilities, contained in the Fiscal Year 2002 and 2003 Intelligence Authorization Bills.

From Graham's spokesman:

A spokesman for Graham said he wrote portions of the law that have not been controversial, such as sections that require criminal investigators to share information about possible terrorists with foreign intelligence analysts. Graham also wrote sections that are designed to improve the sharing of information among federal, state and local agencies.

Graham said this week that he is concerned about the implementation of other sections of the law. "I think the attorney general has gone beyond what the Congress intended, particularly in areas such as disparate treatment and what amounts to a form of racial profiling against Americans of Islamic background."

Graham said Congress should conduct "a serious review of what has happened under this act." He said he opposes an expanded bill dubbed "Patriot 2" and opposes an effort to make the current law permanent. It is due to expire in 2005.

From CNN:

Patriot Act

Co-author of act; critical of civil liberties restrictions

So, who was THE AUTHOR of the other 95% of The USAPatriot Act?


Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh.


This is a must-read piece:


The Patriot Act Is Your Friend

By Kim Zetter
02.24.04

Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh, who authored the Patriot Act, has been called a "political pit bull" but prefers to be called an "attendant of freedom."

Viet Dinh has been called a "political pit bull" and "a foot soldier" for Attorney General John Ashcroft. But the 36-year-old author of the Patriot Act prefers to be called an "attendant of freedom."

In May 2001, the professor of law at Georgetown University was tapped by the Justice Department to work for two years as an assistant attorney general, working primarily on judicial nominations for the department. But three months later the World Trade Center towers collapsed, and Dinh was drafted to work on the USA Patriot Act, a bill that would give the government some of its most controversial surveillance powers. The bill, coupled with the government's subsequent treatment of immigrants and native-born citizens, prompted critics to charge the administration with overthrowing "800 years of democratic tradition."

Ironically, Dinh is an immigrant himself. The youngest of seven children born in Vietnam, he was 7 years old when communists took over the country and imprisoned his father, a city councilman, for "reeducation." Three years later, Dinh's mother escaped with him and five of his siblings to the United States. His father arrived eight years later.

Dinh graduated from Harvard Law School and clerked for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. He has had a hand in many high-profile issues, including the Whitewater investigation and the impeachment trial of former President Clinton. In 2000, he also wrote a friend-of-the-court brief for the Supreme Court on behalf of Florida voters who favored George W. Bush's win in the contested presidential election.

He once said that he was drawn to study the government because he "had seen government that did not work," and he was drawn to the Republican Party because of his hatred for communism.

Wired News spoke to Dinh about the Patriot Act and its effect on the liberties of American citizens.

.....

(Interview follows)

Again, Senator Bob Graham wrote the non-controversial portions of the USAPatriot Act. As usual, the press did its best in 2003 to tar his work with the same broad brush as the egregious provisions written by Viet Dinh.

It was a way to smear Graham, using guilt by association. And it is still being practiced by the sorry excuse for media we still are plagued with today.

[DogPoundPup]

17. I LOVE Bob Graham! Loved his nickname for bush family friend OsamaBinForgotten