Andrew Malcolm's Biden-hate gets the better of him
Published
If you've read this far, you are no doubt desperate to know the crucial role that Obama's vital team partner and loyal sidekick Vice President Joe Biden is playing in this historic legislative maneuvering over healthcare. After all, he was a senator when Obama was in elementary school.
Well, actually Biden's not doing much, it seems. And he doesn't have anything to say about the healthcare storm.
Washington activities are so important and so urgent that JB is silent (lest he screw it up with something spontaneous?).
According to his official White House weekend schedule, Biden's taking another entire weekend off to catch up on whatever he catches up on up in Delaware
The New York Times, December 19:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If the U.S. Congress fails to agree on a healthcare bill soon, the opportunity for a sweeping overhaul of the $2.5 trillion system will be lost for a generation, Vice President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday.
Biden was speaking just hours before Democratic lawmakers were to meet at the White House with President Barack Obama, who is pressing them to reach agreement and pass a bill on his signature domestic policy issue.
...
Biden said if the bill did not pass in this Congress “it is going to be kicked back for a generation.”
He also said he expected independent Senator Joe Lieberman, who caucuses with Democrats and is a key vote on the healthcare overhaul, would vote in favor of the final bill.
Lieberman has threatened to join Republicans in opposing the bill, complicating Democratic efforts to gather the 60 votes needed to overcome Republican opposition.
“I think Joe's judgment is wrong in this,” Biden said in an interview on MSNBC. “I'm confident Joe is going to see the light, I'm confident he is going to vote for a final bill, but there is an awful lot of gamesmanship going on right now.”
Previously: