Now that the news is out about the Obama-Biden ticket, it’s time to ask what Sen. Biden adds to the ticket.

The instant Sen. Biden joined the ticket, he became the foreign policy expert of the ticket. That isn’t a compliment. When the man that put together a plan that would’ve divided a sovereign nation into three countries is the foreign policy expert, you know that the ticket doesn’t have much credibility on foreign policy. What makes Sen. Biden’s plan worse is the fact that he tried forcing this down the throats of a nation that we hope becomes an important ally in the Middle East.

This also underscores the fact that Sen. Obama’s foreign policy resume is the thinnest of any presidential candidate in my lifetime. I can’t confirm this but I think Sen. Obama holds the distinction of being the only senator in history to chair a subcommittee that didn’t call a policy hearing of that committee. I’m referring to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on European Affairs. Here’s what Salon.com said about that subcommittee’s responsibilities:

Ritch points out that as subcommittee chair, Obama could have examined a wide variety of urgent matters, from the role of NATO in Afghanistan and Iraq to European energy policy and European responses to climate change, and of course, the undermining of the foundations of the Atlantic alliance by the Bush administration. There is, indeed, almost no issue of current global interest that would have fallen outside the subcommittee’s purview.

This speaks volumes about Sen. Obama’s disinterest in foreign policy. Why should voters think that anyone that disinterested in this important subcommittee will be a good steward of foreign policy as president?

My point is that anyone that Sen. Obama had picked, with the exception of Gov. Kaine or Gov. Sebelius, would’ve had a better grasp on foreign policy than Sen. Obama. By alot. Just because Sen. Biden is the foreign policy guru of this ticket isn’t confirmation that he’s as knowledgeable on foreign policy as Sen. McCain. He isn’t.

Another thing that Sen. Biden brings to the table might be lethal but it isn’t serious. Sen. Biden’s penchant for shooting his mouth off will have campaign handlers as worried about Sen. Biden’s impromptu meanderings as they’ll be worried about Sen. Obama’s gaffes. That’s saying alot.

On the positive side, Sen. Biden is a blue collar kind of guy, one who might appeal to Catholic voters, too. That said, I don’t think his abilities in this area are enough to make Pennsylvanians forget Sen. Obama’s statement that rural Pennsylvania voters cling to their guns and religion because times are tough.

This is an incredibly light ticket, one whose flaws will become apparent in the weeks to come.

Technorati: Joe Biden, Loose Cannon, Barack Obama, Gaffes, Foreign Policy, Catholics, Blue Collar Workers, Iraq, Election 2008

Cross-posted at California Conservative