It's The Politico Article that was posted yesterday.
As work in the Senate begins again, I wanted to pass along thisarticle. I hope you find it interesting.Joe
The Politico Biden looks overseas By Helena Andrews
Despite his failed presidential bid, foreign policy experts sayJoe Biden returns to the Senate and his Foreign RelationsCommittee chairmanship this week with burnished credentials. The Delaware senator's second run for the White House ended inthe snow of Iowa, but he is even more attractive than before asa candidate for secretary of state in a Democraticadministration, according to some in the Washington foreignpolicy community. Biden also wins praise for attempting toengage voters in a more substantive debate on national securityand foreign affairs issues. But more than anything else, there is a sense of relief on bothsides of the aisle that Biden is finally off the campaign trailand back in the driver's seat at the Foreign RelationsCommittee, where he can focus his energies on U.S. relationswith Iran, North Korea and Kosovo. "As a conservative, I'm one who's gained more respect for JoeBiden over the last few years," said a GOP House aide, but "hereturns to an institution of which there is enormous frustrationat the Senate for its failure to step up on a host oflegislative initiatives." The frustration isn't necessarily limited to Biden or hispresidential bid. "We've seen no serious legislative initiativesout of this committee for the better part of three or fouryears," said the aide. "Half the members of that committee wererunning for president, whether it was John Kerry, Joe Biden orChuck Hagel - everybody seemed to be angling for thepresidency." The return of an unsuccessful White House candidate to theclubby and competitive atmosphere of the Senate has proveddifficult for some in the past. But Biden, despite his earlyexit, seemed to win respect from his opponents and politicalobservers for the way he ran his campaign - and also for seemingto curb his legendary gift for gab, which has resulted indamaging verbal gaffes throughout his career. Biden's reputation as a politician who can broker agreements andwork across party lines makes him a pivotal player for the nextadministration. Come next year, the next president must considerthe question of either how to get out of Iraq or how to stay,and Biden is poised to play a central role in that debate. "Whatever choice the new president wants
, he or shewill need congressional support and bipartisan support, andBiden will be crucial," said Michael Mandelbaum, author of"Democracy's Good Name." "Whoever is president will be courting him," Mandelbaum added. Of course, it's possible that the next president will view Bidenas a potential secretary of state. Dan Hamilton, director of theCenter for Transatlantic Relations at The Johns HopkinsUniversity, said Biden's recent time on the national stage wouldbe enough to propel him to a Cabinet position, especially givenhis well-received debate performances. "It wouldn't surprisepeople next January to hear that he had been made secretary ofstate," said Hamilton. "If the announcement had been made lastJuly, some people would have been surprised." Others saw value in Biden's campaign because the Delawaresenator discussed important issues that might otherwise havebeen overlooked. On the campaign trail in Iowa, Biden asked a crowd ofsupporters, "What happens if implodes and nuclearwarheads fall into the hands of terrorists? That's what I'vebeen warning about for five years." At the NPR presidential debates in Iowa last December, Bidensaid his foreign policy doctrine would be one of prevention."And we don't have to imagine any of the crises," he said. "Weknow what's going to happen on day one when you're president.You have Pakistan, Russia, China, the subcontinent of India. Youhave Afghanistan. You have Darfur. And it requires engagement -engagement and prevention." Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow offoreign policy at the Brookings Institution, said Biden elevatedthe quality of conversation about issues such as Pakistan andChina. "Biden typically had a sophistication in his answers that gotbeyond the simple slogan," O'Hanlon said, referring to candidatedebates in which the senator spoke eloquently about the dangersof an unstable Pakistan and the ongoing genocide in the Darfurregion of Sudan. "I'm glad we didn't have to deal with just thefront-runners." Johns Hopkins' Hamilton agreed: "He resisted the easy soundbite. And I do think people respected that." Jim Jatras, a lobbyist and former foreign policy adviser, wasskeptical about whether the issues raised by Biden would bediscussed in any depth now that his presidential bid has ended. "I don't think the presidential race is going to figure veryhighly on foreign policy issues unless we're dealing with crisesthat come up," said Jatras. "I don't think anyone will focus onthem from their own initiative." Christopher Preble, director of foreign policy studies at TheCato Institute, said Biden had been typecast among thecandidates as the "wise foreign policy sage, kind of speakingthe truth." Other foreign policy wonks said the same, referring to Biden assophisticated and a shoo-in to lead the State Department or,alternately, on the short list for a vice presidential nodshould Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois win the Democraticnomination. Despite his foot-in-mouth comments about Obama being"articulate" last February, some said Biden's foreign policyexperience would complement Obama's perceived inexperience inthat area. "When it comes to VP nominees, Biden is going to be on thatlist," said Steve Clemons, a senior fellow at the New AmericaFoundation, a "radical centrist" think tank based in Washington.Clemons added that he hoped the possibility of being Obama'srunning mate wouldn't "distract" Biden "from the more importantfunction of having the Foreign Relations Committee up and doingits job."
Paid for by Biden for President, Inc.--------------------------------------------------
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