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

[Rachel]

This is a joke. Obama has ran a great campaign up to this point. Why would he taint it by replacing Biden with Clinton? People seem to forget about all the baggage the Clintons carry. Making that move would give the GOP the upper hand. Clinton supporters need to get over it, Hilary is not the perfect candidate.

[Abe McManus]

It ain't gonna happen. Besides, if Obama gets elected, we will have a woman vice-president whether we like it or not - Oprah Winfrey.

[james]

PFFFT!! No way. This is some repub rumor mongering. Joe biden will be vice president.

[Timothy Foley]

This is an absolutely laughable piece of journalism. This email doesn't have a shred of evidence and you bend over backwards to give it a tantalizing hint of legitimacy. It has none. And by doing so, neither do you.

Disgusting at a time when we're facing an economic crisis greater than we've seen in most of our lifetimes, on top of the many real existential threats of terrorism, future economic crises and energy shortages, out of control health care costs, and a third of a nation unsure how they're going pay for their heating bills this weekend.

Wake up!

[I can confirm this rumor]

I have a source close to the Biden family that can confirm this rumor. Joe Biden will step aside for a woman next week, but not Hillary. Next week Obama is going to add Maria Shriver to the ticket. I am told she is an attractive pick because of her Kennedy roots.

[A.G. Billoni]

I can't believe you would publish an anonymous email to support a story that is not a story. How long have you been using the internet? Just the last few lines smacks of those "persistant" Bill Gates/Intel $495 emails or "Send this to 10 friends immediately" chain emails . In the midst of our country's worst financial crisis you spend a column on this? Get back to work!!!!

Anthony

[lavalove]

Stop with the Messiah bs, that is a silly republican scare tactic...or the previous poster could just be crazy.

Either way, Sarah Palin will self destruct taking grandpa Munster with her.

[Keith]

Oh well... here it goes.
John McCain drops Palin so he can pick Mrs Clinton as his running mate, the VP. It is the only way that McCain will
win the election.

how is that?

[Dicky Betts]

How much does the GOP pay people to come out and post BS on message boards? Are they hiring?

[NullOp]

Biden steps aside for Hillary! Oh Yeah! Then we can have "Vote for Change" and "Let's do away with that pesky Congress and put me in charge!" Socialism is just what this country needs to ends it run as a world leader! We need leaders that know when to talk and know when to call out the troops. Clinton was NOT such a leader and neither is Obama and his ilk.

[Clinton needed]

Oh, please

The Obama supporters [maniacs] who laud Obama for his choice of Biden are incredibly deluded and ignorant.

Obama picked Biden because Obama doesn't know anything and needs someone to tell him what to do. It would be President Biden in actuality.

Obama is a moron and America is in for rude shock if he's elected

We need Clinton to fix the mess you stupid men constantly create in this world.

[Tim B]

Interesting that this comes out a mere week after the stories about Republicans being unhappy with Palin. McCain's has been an exceptionally satisfying campaign to watch, as he repeatedly dips into the tried and true Republican bag of smears and discovers that they all expired in 2006. It's about time the GOP's divide and conquer strategy blew up in their faces. Now it's time to rebuild America.

[Judy Loft]

Ridiculous!! When Barbara Walters asked Bill Clinton if Hillary wanted to be VP, Bill said emphatically, "No!"
However, it won't be a surprise to many if Sarah is replaced.......Bailin' Palin?

[Dyspeptic Change]

Hey, Diseptive Change-

you got your name wrong. It's "Dyspeptic" you're gunning for.

Look it up. Then try a real argument.

[mitch]

Diseptive Change,

Evidently it is ok to lie as a Christian too if your last name is Bush. Stop spreading your hatred & lies through insinuating that Obama is Muslim.

As to Biden stepping down, I don't see it. Gallup poll for Sept. 15-21 of registered voters has Obama ahead 53%-40% for all women. Since June the closest that McCain has gotten is 48%-43% after the GOP convention. The lead currently is 2% for McCain for White women. He held an 11% advantage after the GOP convention. I think having Biden as a running mate is going just fine.

As to the overall lead based on race, McCain has an 9% advantage for Non-Hispanic Whites, Obama has a 90% for Non-Hispanic Blacks & Obama has a 15% bonus for Hispanics. Basic math has Obama ahead by several million votes according to Gallup polls of registered voters. Why would he give up a lead like that with about a month to go?

[Joe Poniatowski]

Switching Biden for Clinton is the best thing Obama could do - for the Republicans. He knows this, so I have to believe this is a crock.

[Jessie in Ohio]

I don't think Obama will replace Biden. It will make him look like McCain--unsure and willing to pull a rabbit out of his hat to win this election. And if Joe Biden does embarrass Palin on Thursday (which he probably will), the whole "bully" thing will be over with within a week. Speaking of--do any other women on here think the Republicans are being sexist in trying to "protect" Palin? They're making her seem like a delicate flower and shielding her from reporters and everyone else. I know it's more likely because she really doesn't know what she's talking about and is an embarrassment to her party, but come on! Just because she's a woman doesn't mean she needs to be babied by her own party...

[Mikayla]

Um... Palin won mayoral and then gubernatorial debates. Her approval rate is 80+% compared with 26% for Bush and 17% for the House and Senate. To glibly underestimate her ability, in effect setting the bar so low for her, is a mistake born of elitism, arrogance, and over confidence. Answering an interviewer's questions is an entirely different field of battle from squaring off one on one with an opponent, especially one as misguidedly self-confident, yet absent-minded bordering on prevarication, as Joe Biden is. It may well be that he'll eat her lunch. But everyone who's gone up against her so far has also thought that. So let's see what Thursday brings before we consider the war won. This is no time to become complacent or congratulatory on things yet to be decided by millions of votes we don't control.

Obama '08

[mungomunro]

If it wasn't for the BS rumers they like to spread the Republicans would have nothing at all to talk about.

[Ed]

Early voting has begin in Ohio, an intensely-coveted battleground state. Changing the ticket invalidates any ballots already cast and those votes are desperately needed "in the bank" for both presidential tickets. There will be no switcheroo and this article fans a non-controversy.

[Graham Roberts]

Reverse logic, Obama is ahead by 10%, deflect the pivotal G.O.P question that is raising its ugly head: Should Palin Resign?

Kathleen Parker, said Sarah Palin is "out of her league" and should leave the GOP presidential ticket for the good of the party.

Brooks also said Palin "is smart" and could eventually "rise to the level of mediocrity."

Sort List of Prominent Conservatives concerned with the choice of her as V.P.

Brookhiser
Brooks
Parker
Fabrizio
Coffin
Ponnuru
Noonan
Murphy

[Jinx]

If Biden were replaced that would be the stupidest thing that Obama could do and would potentially lose him the election. Short of Biden dying, he should not be replaced. The choice of Biden showed that Obama was a cautious man who thinks things through while McCain's choice of Palin shows what a dangerous act without thinking gambler McCain is. I would much rather have the thoughtful cautious Obama than the fly by the seat of your pants McCain. Getting rid of Biden would be the absolute dumbest thing possible. I think internet rumors are so stupid, don't you? Whoever came up with this stupid rumor should be silenced. Biden is such a better choice than Palin it's astounding!

[tizzyfit]

The latest rumor is BIDEN will step aside, Hillary will become the VP on the ticket and then NOBAMA will decide he'd rather sell dope and crack in the hood than be president, so he'll step aside thus making Hillary the candidate for president and she would ask Bill to run as her VP.

[Larkin]

The reason Obama didn't pick Hilary is because we have a country full of racists and misogynists. A black man and a woman on the same ticket simply won't fly, not in this country, not right now.Do I wish it would? Of course, but let's face reality, This is just spin from some Republican strategist.

[Larkin]

The reason Obama didn't pick Hilary is because we have a country full of racists and misogynists. A black man and a woman on the same ticket simply won't fly, not in this country, not right now.Do I wish it would? Of course, but let's face reality, This is just spin from some Republican strategist.