For Biden, No Portfolio but the Role of a Counselor (NYT)

[jefferson_dem]

For Biden, No Portfolio but the Role of a Counselor
By HELENE COOPER

WASHINGTON — The day before Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s birthday last week, Barack Obama surprised him after lunch with candlelighted cupcakes. Within hours, the photograph of the president-elect and his running mate, smiling over the dessert, was on the evening news.

The photograph, circulated by Mr. Obama’s office, was meant to project unity, confidence and camaraderie. But while Mr. Obama has moved quickly to assemble his White House staff and the beginnings of a cabinet, he is lagging behind even the chronically late President Bill Clinton in bringing clarity to the role his vice president will play.

So far, Mr. Biden has not been given a defined portfolio, the way Al Gore was given the environment and technology in 1992. And Mr. Obama’s aides say they do not expect Mr. Biden to assume the kind of muscular role that Vice President Dick Cheney has played over the last eight years, although he is expected to put out a number of fires.

“I’m sure that there will be discrete assignments over time,” said David Axelrod, a senior adviser to the president-elect. “But I think his fundamental role is as a trusted counselor. I think that when Obama selected him, he selected him to be a counselor and an adviser on a broad range of issues.”

Mr. Biden has spent much of the three weeks since the election in Chicago, where he has worked closely with Mr. Obama. But while Mr. Obama held a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday, Mr. Biden was home in Delaware, having spent Monday night in Wilmington stuffing Christmas stockings with his wife for a charity event.

Mr. Biden seems to be adapting. He is hiring for his office, including a chief of staff, Ron Klain, who has worked with him since he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the 1990s. With Mr. Obama having settled on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state, Mr. Biden, whose most recent Senate post was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has privately told people that he recognizes he will not be the point man on foreign policy.

Mr. Biden has also interviewed candidates for chief economist, and associates say he is honing his economic credentials.

Mr. Biden has been keeping up with his outreach to foreign leaders; two weeks ago he called the three leading candidates for prime minister of Israel, Tzipi Livni, Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak. He has also reached out to President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia and Javier Solana, the foreign policy chief of the European Union.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/us/politics/26biden.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

[TexasObserver]

1. I like that role for Joe Biden. He will be a good counselor.

[Muttocracy]

2. I don't get it.

So HRC will have a stronger role in setting foreign policy than Biden? Why?

I guess all this negotiation over whether she'll even take the job is good practice for everyone for complex negotiations.

[FrenchieCat]

4. I think Obama will be setting Foreign Policy....and Biden will be his counselor....

They are not forming it out, even if the NYT tries to intimate that.

[Mass]

12. foreign policy is set by the president on advice of his advisers and

the SOS.

The SOS executes the policy designed by the White House.

I am not sure that HRC will have a stronger role than Clinton setting policy. Remember that the NSA and Biden will be a lot closer to the Oval Office than she is. It is just that he had said in previous interview he did not want a specific portfolio, but to be advising and helping to design policies.

[ProSense]

13. All you have to do is read this part...

Mr. Biden has spent much of the three weeks since the election in Chicago, where he has worked closely with Mr. Obama. But while Mr. Obama held a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday, Mr. Biden was home in Delaware, having spent Monday night in Wilmington stuffing Christmas stockings with his wife for a charity event.

Mr. Biden seems to be adapting. He is hiring for his office, including a chief of staff, Ron Klain, who has worked with him since he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the 1990s. With Mr. Obama having settled on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state, Mr. Biden, whose most recent Senate post was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has privately told people that he recognizes he will not be the point man on foreign policy.

...to realize this is more media shill to hype Hillary's stature and create the impression that Obama is summarily snubbing folks to appease her.

Oh, poor VP Biden left with nothing to do but spend time with his family. :eyes:

[Metric System]

14. Oh yes, because the media just loves Hillary. You're hilarious. Or something.

[ProSense]

15. "Hillary plays hardball"

Call it what you will, it's still media BS.

[kevinds13]

25. No, but they do love drama.

And in this instance, playing up Hillary's role plays up the drama.

Duh.

[Clio the Leo]

3. Those train rides from Chicago to DE must be killer. :-)

I think "cheerleader" has to be on his list of responsibilities. I'd hire Biden to work for me simply because of his ability to boost my confidence levels. I'd often listen to his speeches before work and, without fail, I always sold more that day!

Joe just makes you want to go out and conquer the world!!!

GET UP CHAMP!!!! JUST GET UP!!!!!

[Jennicut]

7. Yup, Joe has that effect on people! Barack and Joe are such positive guys

and we all really need that right now with the economy tanking.

[Clio the Leo]

8. Yep and Joe knows EVERYBODY!!!

Who needs a Blackberry when you got Joe down the hall? Probably has the phone numbers of every American memorized. lol

[Jennicut]

9. After Obama meets with Joe, he probably won't need to be in contact with anyone for 2 months

The man CAN talk a lot.

[Clio the Leo]

10. I love Joe to pieces but...

..... this is one of my fav. pics of him.




But on the flip side, how proud I was during the height of the Palin/Couric debacle when the reports came out that someone in the press pool on Biden's plane asked him about some obscure thing having to do with Iraq (I didn't even understand the question) and Joe talked FOR THIRTEEN MINUTES!!!!!

I LOVE THAT MAN!!!!!!

[Jennicut]

11. LOL....13 freakin minutes! That picture is hilarious by the way.

I love him too.

[PatSeg]

20. He certainly can do that to people!

I picture him in the background being Obama's everything when needed. There is no one better to have behind you through thick and thin. Obama chose wisely and I think he knows it.

[Colobo]

5. Joe will be Obama's main advisor.

[Jennicut]

6. I really like Joe being the one for Obama to go to for straight up advice

as Joe really has no political aspirations to be president anymore. He is like the reverse Dick Cheney. He is a god guy and will help advise Obama on lots of different things, both in foreign policy and domestically. I like that they get along well too. Al Gore did a good job as VP as well but I think I like the Mondale-version best, as a kind of all around adviser. Biden is probably the only person in the administration who has to scale his role back as Cheney made the VP so incredibly powerful, too powerful. Biden has to make the VP-role substantial but in deference to the president and I think he will do fine.

[ProSense]

16. Biden is busy staffing the VP's office

Vice President-elect Biden announces key staff positions for the Vice President’s office

[Muttocracy]

17. thanks! nt

[PatSeg]

19. Oooh, someone changed their sig line!

Cool!!!

[Muttocracy]

22. doesn't rock like yours

and it took me way too long to resize it - I need to get a life!

[PatSeg]

24. Its funny

I had this thread up and I went to do something else. I came back later to respond to your post and you had already changed your avatar and had a new sig line!

A life? Hmmm I think I used to have one of those, but I seem to have misplaced it. Maybe if I clean house, it will turn up!

[Think82]

18. I'm thinking Presidential consiglieri...

Kind of like Robert Duvall's character in the Godfather... (Obama's favorite movie, btw)

[FrenchieCat]

21. I love those guys!

[Muttocracy]

23. oh, those are hysterical! nt

[jillan]

26. FC - those pics are great!