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.