Why the Obama administration would want to create a sense of doubt, disarray, and even panic by swapping out Vice-President Biden for Hillary Clinton is beyond me, but that doesn’t keep idiots like Bill Keller from revisiting the issue over and over. The reasoning is terrible. No allegation is made that Joe Biden is a liability or that he is doing a bad job. The purpose of the change wouldn’t be that it was necessary, only that it would help Obama run-up-the-score and get a better Congress. Well, that, and it would create a better heir-apparent to Obama for the 2016 campaign. The former rationale is plausible, but also highly doubtful. Clinton could help Obama win more comfortably and have more coattails. I can’t rule that possibility out. But she could also make him look wobbly and indecisive. She would excite one element of the Democratic Party while deflating Obama’s core supporters, who presumably supported him because they saw something less than ideal in Clinton. If the president were desperate, the potential reward might outweigh the risk, but that is not currently the case. As for the latter rationale, both Clinton and Biden will be on the old side by 2016. But neither of them will be too old to run. Biden is seven years younger than Ron Paul, just to make one comparison.
If Clinton wants to run in 2016, there is no reason in the world why she would need to be the sitting vice-president to do it. She could resign from the State Department after the election, take some time off to rest and recuperate from her vigorous schedule, and then start ramping up a campaign in 2014. A little distance from the sitting administration would probably be an asset. It would give her the ability to create some separation and enjoy some maneuverability. If Obama loses his reelection, she’ll probably be the undisputed front-runner in 2016. There’s so little upside for her, that I very much doubt she wants the job. She’d probably take it if asked, but unwillingly.
It’s just a dumb idea.
