Biden's Birther Joke

At the 124th annual Gridion Dinner, Vice President Joe Biden poked fun at the conspiracy theories about President Obama's birth certificate, saying:

You know, I never realized just how much power Dick Cheney had until my first day on the job. I walked into my office, and you know how the outgoing president always leaves the incoming president a note in his desk? I opened my drawer and Dick Cheney had left me Barack Obama’s birth certificate. (Politico)

Looks like the administration is quaking, doesn't it?

Biden's Gridion address is pretty hysterical altogether, so you might want to take a moment to read the transcript here.

VP Debate Polls: Biden Takes It

Despite a chorus of voices insisting that Sarah Palin “won” last night’s presidential debate, a poll of polls at The Kansas City Star informs us that, overall, viewers thought that Joe Biden offered a more winning performance. According to polls of random subjects:

Survey USA Biden 51% Palin 32% Undecided 17%
MediaCurves.com tracked independent voters, showing them breaking to Biden 67% to Palin 33%.
CNN/Opinion Research Biden 51 Palin 36
CBS Biden 46 Palin 21
Fox Biden 61 Palin 39

Although Palin’s approval ratings will likely grow, and she certainly “redeemed” herself in some viewers’ eyes (her performance during the debate contrasted well with those Couric interviews), most people seem to prefer Biden’s gravitas over Palin’s charming folksiness.

Aside: from The Star: “[i]n the CBS poll, of the uncommitted voters, 18% now say they will vote Obama/Biden, 10% now say McCain/Palin.” Interesting, no?

Link: Klein on Biden's Tax Equation

Just dropping a link to Joe Klein's column on Joe Biden's comment that equates paying taxes with patriotism. Klein is spot on, by the way.

Joe's Joke, John's Jest: Chill

Some people are a bit peeved about Joe Biden’s “joke” about his wife Jill on Saturday. Okay, folks, how is this:

"Ladies and gentlemen, my wife Jill, who you'll meet soon, is drop dead gorgeous," said Biden.

"She also has her doctorate degree, which is a problem," he added. "

Worse than this:

“I told her with a little luck that [Cindy McCain] could be the only woman to serve as First Lady and Miss Buffalo Chip,” Mr. McCain told the crowd, as his wife waved to them.

According to ESPN, the Miss Buffalo Chip competition “is essentially a topless beauty pageant. And occasionally bottomless, too.”

Yes, men make jokes about their wives, and sometimes those jokes are inappropriate. Pelosi’s right on this one, people. Get a grip. There are real things to get bent out of shape over.

Early Reports: Biden is the Man

Just as it says.
And you know, in all honesty, I was kind of hoping for Hillary. Not because of the PUMAs or other so-called "dead enders," but because it's Hillary, and the idea of the pair of them really promises some unity and an opportunity to bring the country together.
Ah, well.

Joe's good. He's smart. He's also as uncorrupt as they come. A good, albeit wonkish, choice if these early reports are borne out.