A president is elected by the people of this country. During the campaign, he presents a program, his view of where this country should be headed. (Well, Obama is doing that; McCain is mostly bashing Obama and kissing up to Bush.) He's elected and has several weeks to get together a cabinet and get briefed on world situations. Then the world watches the swearing in ceremony and sees the US, again, peacefully pass the reins of command from one man to another. We've done it for over 200 years.
Voters don't elect a vice president. When a president goes down (for whatever reason) the world watches with bated breath. In this country, the stock market falls, financial institutions hesitate. In the rest of the world our allies wonder if this country will be able to stand by promises made and our enemies go on alert for an opportunity to take advantage of any weakness.
The very first responsiblity for a presidential candidate is to name a back up (vice president) who can reassure the American people, our allies, and our enemies, that we are in capable hands in a crises where the president goes down. Joe Biden can do that. He may not have great speaking skills, he may not represent change, but he's a proven, reliable, known factor in Washington, DC and around the world. On the other hand, McCain (71 years old, several bouts with cancer) has chosen a VP with no national, much less international, experience. One who is under investigation by her own state! This says a lot about his judgment and who puts "Country First" in this election.
Voters don't elect a vice president. When a president goes down (for whatever reason) the world watches with bated breath. In this country, the stock market falls, financial institutions hesitate. In the rest of the world our allies wonder if this country will be able to stand by promises made and our enemies go on alert for an opportunity to take advantage of any weakness.
The very first responsiblity for a presidential candidate is to name a back up (vice president) who can reassure the American people, our allies, and our enemies, that we are in capable hands in a crises where the president goes down. Joe Biden can do that. He may not have great speaking skills, he may not represent change, but he's a proven, reliable, known factor in Washington, DC and around the world. On the other hand, McCain (71 years old, several bouts with cancer) has chosen a VP with no national, much less international, experience. One who is under investigation by her own state! This says a lot about his judgment and who puts "Country First" in this election.