Obama Pulls a Page from the Thomas Hearings

Barack Obama and I are only six months apart in age and I figure he, like me, got his first detailed impressions of Senator Joe Biden through the widely aired confirmation hearings for Clarence Thomas as a Supreme Court Justice. Biden was the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee responsible for the farce hearings. I suspect Obama looks at Biden’s experience as a character assasin as an asset.

I recall at one point Biden allowing a committee member to berate Thomas for not keeping an open mind about his accuser, Anita Hill, and her accusations of alleged sexual harassment perpetrated by Thomas. What an asinine comment - of all people, certainly Thomas knew whether the charge was true or false. The rest of us needed an open mind, but as Kathryn Jean Lopez notes – Biden’s was closed for the season.

During the hearings, Juan Williams wrote of the Judiciary’s behind the scenes attempts to smear Thomas. Perhaps Obama wants more of the same from Biden (change anyone?), but I think he will be handicapped in this “You-tube” age. It’s one thing to make bone-headed attacks in pre-Google times, but hard to do in an era of an “army” of fact checkers.

Biden detractors, on the other hand, are going to have a field day. For instance here is Biden on Thomas:

I think that the only reason Clarence Thomas is on the Court is because he is black. I don't believe he could have won had he been white. And the reason is, I think it was a cynical ploy by President Bush.

Couple the above (and Thomas had a resume), with Biden’s Obama is inexperienced declaration that Mark dug up and should we surmise Biden thinks Obama is a cynical ploy by the Democrat Party?

If he had any self respect, the next two months should be hell for Biden. Fortunately for him, he is a Democrat.

Dowd still using a Hand Press?

The "Bush vacations while Rome burns" schtick didn't have much traction seven years ago. Apparently only those stuck setting type in the New York Times missed out on the fact that the President of the U.S. pretty much takes his office on the road. This week Maureen Dowd sounds downright anachronistic as she pulls the typesetting duty in today's internet age:

America’s back in the cold war and W.’s back on vacation...

..He has spent 469 days of his presidency kicking back at his ranch, and 450 days cavorting at Camp David. And there’s still time to mountain-bike through another historic disaster.

I guess Maureen does all her writing on a typewriter chained to a desk in the New York Times building. The rest of us understand the concept of the mobile office. In the words of Rush Limbaugh - "It doesn't matter where here is."

For three years I worked out of my home office. My customers didn't know that and it didn't matter. Now I have a downtown office but I still do some work from home - usually after hours. It is all transparent to my customers and out of state boss. If the New York Times used laptops and cell phones they would know what I mean. And yes, the laptop and phone are with me on vacation - for the occasional urgent matter.

So Dowd might not identify with the capabilities technology affords the President, but the rest of us do.

Crossposted at UNCoRRELATED