Obama-Biden 08 and The Bentsen Effect

Barack Obama recently chose Senator Joe Biden (Delaware) to be his running mate to boost his presidential campaign .The campaign needed a running mate that could add excitement going into the convention week.Overall this appears to be a good choice for Barack , as Joe Biden gives the Democratic ticket an boost in the foreign policy.The gray haired Biden adds the gravitas needed to the Democratic ticket .Biden gives the Democratic ticket "the Bentsen effect".The Bentsen effect gives to Barack Obama an establishment Washington insider with instant Beltway credibilty .The example of "the Bentsen effect" was the added value that late Senator Lloyd Bentsen brought to the Dukakis 1988 campaign. During that campaign many said that the ticket needed to be reversed , with Bentsen at the top . When the electorate looks at possible vice presidents they need to bring a enhancement to the upside of the ticket . The days when a ticket can be balanced alone by region are over.

Democrats when compared to Republicans normally are not viewed as favorably in the foreign policy arena . Most Americans trust Democrats with domestic policy but feel that Republicans are best suited for handling foreign policy crisis ,the Iraq War withstanding. Joe Biden's foreign policy credentials are hailed on both sides of the aisle of being pragmatic . The Republican handling of Iraq has made some Americans squeamish and long for a change in foreign policy . Americans feel that they need to have an experienced hand in foreign policy and Obama was not viewed as being experienced . Senator Biden is widely recognized as an leader in the foreign policy arena , which many Democratic powerbrokers felt was Senator Obama'a Achilles Heel .
The recent invasion of Georgia by the Russians has moved foreign policy back to the forefront. Heretofore Obama's foreign policy credentials needed burnishing , Joe Biden gives the Obama campaign some fire in that area.