After Sarah Palin VP debate, Joe Biden to step aside for Hillary Clinton?

It's been one of the most persistent rumors on the internet since John McCain smartly snuffed Barack Obama's convention afterglow by doing what the Democrat considered and rejected: naming a woman as his vice presidential partner.

Within 10 hours of Obama's Greek-columned stadium speech in Denver, McCain shocked most of the political world by naming Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, as his vice presidential running mate.

And the 44-year-old mother of five and hockey mom with a union husband quickly became a "palinomenon."

Obama had decided against taking on any Clinton complexities and gone for the safe, predictable choice of Sen. Joe Biden as his VP.

True, Biden's 36-year Washington residency in the same Delaware Senate seat since Obama was a sixth-grader goes against Obama's agent of change argument.

But as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, the Pennsylvania native might bolster the foreign/national security credentials of the state senator from Springfield. And help win the crucial Keystone State.

However, there's been a persistent e-mail (see text below, along with Biden video) making the rounds of inboxes all month. It's titled "Rumor Has It?" And according to this unsigned e-mail, Biden will step aside as No. 2 on the Democratic ticket shortly after....

...Thursday night's vice presidential debate against Palin, probably around Oct. 5.

Biden will, according to the unverified e-mail, cite health concerns. He did suffer two brain aneurysms and was hospitalized about 20 years ago.

Since Biden's Delaware Senate seat is safe, he could safely return to that job, holding that seat for the party. And the last-minute VP vacancy would allow Obama to fill it with a woman to counter the GOP's pioneering gender move.

That replacement choice could be Sen. Hillary Clinton, who, true to her primary promises, has been out dutifully campaigning anyway for the man who defeated her.

A Clinton pick, once considered the "dream ticket" last spring until Obama soured on the idea of ex-president Bill Clinton hanging around an Obama White House, could swiftly bring the New York senator's 18 million disaffected backers back into the party fold for the Nov. 4 general election, virtually assuring Obama's victory.

Or perhaps Obama would choose Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, daughter of a former Democratic governor. Either one would throw off the Republican strategies and be a potential game-changer.

Switching running mates in mid-campaign may have opportunities but can also be dangerous; the last time it happened was 1972 when another Democratic senator atop the ticket, George McGovern, replaced another Democratic senator running mate, Tom Eagleton, with Sargent Shriver. The new ticket was annihilated by incumbent Republican Richard Nixon.

A spokesman for the Obama campaign dismisses the persistent e-mail message as "not true -- Internet rumor."

But Snopes.com, the website that debunks urban and internet myths, thinks enough of the rumor to add a page called "Ticket Exchange." Instead of shooting it down, the site classifies the status of the Democratic ticket change rumor as "Undetermined."

The report does seem truly far-fetched -- until you start recalling Biden's series of campaign gaffes so far, including his effusive praise of McCain and taking a position contrary to Obama's that matches the Republican's on at least one issue.

And then there was that recent plaintive video (see video below) showing a shirt-sleeved Biden restlessly pacing the campaign stage.

He was supposed to be talking about the Obama-Biden ticket and its platform. But instead Biden went on and on about what a close friend Hillary Clinton is and how well-qualified she is.

And, in fact, Biden suggested, she might have been a better vice presidential choice than he was, an unwelcome on-camera reminder of the gender imbalance on the Democratic ticket compared to the GOP's.

Another possible reason for this candidate swap: What if in Thursday night's VP debate in St. Louis, Biden, an expert debater, figuratively rolls up his sleeves, takes off the gloves and simply demolishes Palin rhetorically and policy-wise. Just destroys her.

Many if not most would find that bullying, an offense that could be rectified by Biden's departure and Obama, the would-be chief executive, stepping in to decisively make things right by naming a woman in his place. And the once-popular Palin would have been neutralized.

In any other election cycle such a scenario would be truly beyond belief. Simply couldn't happen.

--Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credit: CNN

RUMOR?

"On or about October 5th, Biden will excuse himself from the ticket, citing health problems.

"And he will be replaced by Hillary.

"This is timed to occur after the VP debate on 10/2.

"There have been talks all weekend about how to proceed with this    info. Generally, the feeling is that we should all go ahead and get it
out there to as many blog sites and personal email lists as possible.   

"I have already seen a few short blurbs about this -- the 'health problem' cited in those articles was aneurysm. Probably many of you have heard the same rumblings.

"However, at this point, with this inside info from the DNC, it looks like this Obama strategy will be a go.

"Therefore, it seems that the best strategy is to get out in front of this Obama maneuver, spell it out in detail, and thereby expose it for the grand manipulation that it is.

"So, let's start mixing this one up and cut the Obamites off at the pass. Send this info out to as many people as you can post about it on websites and blogs, etc."

Comments

[dan]

what is this, a joke?
Palin is the embarrassment-VP pick, not Biden. If anyone is dropped it will be the bimbo that McCain picked.

[Walter]

It's more likely that McCain will dump Palin for Romney -- or somebody else with some economic chops and fewer scandals than Bush.

[Richard Prince]

Oh yeah, this story stinks of backroom rumor mills at the very time Conservatives have been asking Palin to get off the ticket because, wel, she's not only DUMB but even DUMBER.

What worries me about the reporting of this wild rumor and speculation is how completely sophomoric the press is in reporting garbage like these stories. I've always heard that papers are written to a third-grade level of comprehension but now the reporters ay the LA Times and their editors must be hired for their third-grade lack of sophistication in thinking and conceptualizing political ideas.

[Jim Terr]

Is Mr. Malcolm trying to be the new Andy Borowitz? I thought the headline was from a comedy column when I first saw it, but I see the article is "serious." You WISH Obama replaced Biden with Hilary. You forget which party has the really embarrassing VP candidate!

[CompuByte]

Well of COURSE Obama is going to have Joe B. have some sort of health issue and bring . that's what those sneaky Dems do ..
Listen I have No issue with Dems ..or Rep. I just have an issue with folks saying GIVE ME YOUR money that YOU worked for so I can GIve it to someone else who doesn't have as much. GET A JOB YOU BUM

[bill]

McGovern / Eagleton, lest you forget......
what fool started this rumor?
rove is, or maybe not smarter than that...........

[Informed]

Lol, you do realize that Obama is about as Muslim as the Pope, right?

Silly uninformed people....

[Michael]

I like the idea - it would give the Dem party a boost that could turn a squeaker (win or loss) into a big win. Why not?

[Henster]

The Hillary story is very tired.
Why does the LA Times see if to keep it on life support?
This is journalism?

[paul]

Lol that people think this is coming from Republicans.

This is coming from the Democrat candidate's campaign, disguised as information coming from the GOP.

Put the information out there, see if how the populace takes it and if it would seem to help him win King of America then do it...if it appears as though people don't like it, don't do it.

[JZ]

Typrical Rightwing panic spin mongering, it's sad really all the petty things republicans stoop to. got to win at all costs eh, no matter what the consequenses. Republican credo: screw the people, all the people, all the time. And yes thats National sentiment republicans get your heads out of your butts and wake up before you have no seats left in government. Otherwise you'll be swiftboating libertarians for their 6 seats LoL

[mollycat]

I'd like to remind joanne (and whoever else is misinformed) that Barack Obama is not Muslim. He is Christian. It doesn't matter to me what religion he is, but it is disturbing to see comments like this that are disrespectful to a large religious group and that imply that Obama is something that he is not.

[Andrew]

The only way Obama's camp would consider a radical move like this one would be if Obama was still behind in the polls after the 10/2 debate. However, he's way ahead, so.....

[dalittle]

Only way Clinton gets on the ticket is if Obama has decided that he wants to loose all of a sudden.

[Will]

This article is obviously troll-bait. Move along, nothing to see here.

[Karen]

Please, erratic choices are not Obama's game. Come on we love Hillary but Obama is winning. McCain is the gambler and do far he is just keeps throwing good money after bad.

[Blackie]

Biden is good, HClinton is good, Palin is a trainwreck. Not sure I see the wisdom of switching out Biden.
HClinton is a hothead and has BClinton baggage

[Alex]

Pretty irresponsible to perpetuate an unvalidated internet rumor.

[Kevin K.]

Next blog entry by Andrew Malcolm: "Nigerian Royalty Can Make You A Lot of Money!!!"

[WorkingClassDem]

Wow, somebody switched "Joe Biden" for "Sarah Palin" in that headline. No one's expecting Biden's to step aside because he's done a spectacular job of presenting himself since his nomination. Palin on the other hand.... well, we all know how that train wreck has been progressing.

Blatant double-talk by the propaganda machine.

[Ron]

The fact that you are making this claims tells me that you are insane. Are you related to Karl Rove, or Steve Schmit ?

[DWayne]

Obama might pick up 18 million Clinton supporters. Probably not though. He would surely lose 30 million middle of the road votes in the process. Doesn't sound like a good trade off to me. I'd bet Obama feels the same way.
Clinton has always been the GOP's #1 choice to run against.

[Calvin]

Binden to step aside for Hillary...? You people need to get alife and let this go. See doctor, walk around the block, take up yoga, workout in the gym..whatever.....

[Rocket Taco]

The tactics being used in these comments are getting really sad. Posing as a Muslim so you can misrepresent their beliefs and claim Obama is one of "you?" Sure..... keep trying.

Oh yeah, and this story is obvious professional trolling. They'd have to be idiots.....

[thunderlawls]

uh..."-And according to this unsigned e-mail, Biden will step aside as No. 2 on the Democratic ticket shortly after...." really? Andrew Malcolm has the 'cojones' to site an unsigned e-mail as legit?
lol
why hasn't this blog been deleted it yet?
that what I do when ever i get SPAM I delete it.
just like the e-mail about Obama secretly being a muslim and having tides with alqueda and that McCain is a robot manufactured by the Republican party to destroy America
SPAM...quit giving the ass-clown that wrote this credit for his non-journalist talents.
oh boy how stupid people get my blood boiling