Freedom Rider: Biden = Palin

by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley

"Biden advocated
invading Iraq as early as 1998."

Criticizing Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice Presidential
nominee, is easier than shooting fish in a barrel. The governor of Alaska is
under investigation for using her office in an attempt to fire her former
brother-in-law. This advocate of abstinence-only sex education has a pregnant
teenage daughter. The self-proclaimed fiscal conservative left the small city
of Wasilla, population 5,500, $20
million in debt after she left the mayoralty there.

Palin's shortcomings are many, but are actually no worse
than those of Joseph Biden, Barack Obama's running mate. Biden seems to have
all the right credentials to run for Vice President. He has been a United
States senator for more than 30 years and is chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee. The political establishment and corporate media gave him unanimous
approval, but a closer look reveals that Biden is no better than his Republican
rival.

Biden was himself a presidential candidate in 1988 and in
2008. Both times he was known for a bad case of foot in mouth disease which
resulted in bizarre statements. His declaration that "You
cannot go into a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian
accent," was just one of many memorable jaw dropping comments. When
asked earlier this year if a "northeastern liberal" could appeal to southern voters,
Biden quickly disputed
that description of himself and of his state. "You don't know my state. My state was a slave state. [Emphasis
mine.] My state is a border state. My state has the 8^th largest
black population in the country. My state is anything from a northeast liberal
state."

It is interesting that Biden chose slavery as a means of
escaping the liberal label. He certainly knew that his audience sought a
politician who would not give black people so much as the time of day. How
better to make the case than to identify himself and his state with slavery,
the ultimate form of white supremacy? The gaffe-prone politician quickly caught
himself and sought to temper his words by adding that there are colored people
living in Delaware too. But the words were out, and their intent was clear to
anyone paying attention.

"How better to make the case than to identify himself and
his state with slavery, the ultimate form of white supremacy?"

It also wasn't Biden's only racist statement this campaign
year. No one wants to mention that Biden made news with his so-called
compliment of Barack Obama. The collective and very selective amnesia is quite
stunning. "I mean, you got the first mainstream
African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking
guy.... I mean, that's a storybook, man." Obama was clearly telling the
truth when he said that the words didn't offend him. Both men know that insults
directed at black people are tools for electoral success.

Biden is a committed hawk, with little use for
democracy. He also hopes that the rest of us care about it as little as he
does. In 2005 he
fantasized about a nation that willingly paid for nothing except defense
spending. "The Lord Almighty, or Allah, whoever, if he came to
every kitchen table in America and said, 'Look, I have a Faustian bargain for
you, you choose. I will guarantee to you that I will end all terror threats
against the United States within the year, but in return for that there will be
no help for education, no help for Social Security, no help for health care.
What do you do?' My answer is that seventy-five per cent of the American people
would buy that bargain."

Biden enthusiastically voted in favor of the
resolution to authorize the occupation of Iraq. He advocated invading Iraq as
early as 1998 and eagerly spread the lie that
Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. When asked if he regretted
authorizing the use of force he told a blatant, bald faced lie "...everyone
in the world thought he had them. The weapons inspectors said he had
them."

"Republicans
shrewdly appeal to white America's reptilian brain."

The vastly different media responses to Palin
and Biden prove only one thing. The press are comfortable with known
quantities, especially when they adhere to establishment beliefs. Hawks,
whether smart or stupid, are always in with the in crowd.

Not that Palin has cause for worry. Republicans
shrewdly appeal to white America's reptilian brain. The image of a
frontier, gun toting, uber mom facing sneers from eastern liberals is a sure
vote getter. Press pouting about lack of access will diminish quickly, and
Republican tutors will make sure that Palin doesn't fail on the stump.

Barack Obama is sounding more and more like
McCain every day. He declared
on Fox  news that the "surge" in
Iraq has " . . . succeeded beyond our wildest dreams." He and McCain both have
awful running mates. The only difference is that one has been awful for a
longer period of time. The bright spot for voters is that they don't have to
spend any more time wondering if there will be change or not. The question has
been answered. You may now spend your time pondering something else.

Margaret Kimberley's
Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York
City, and can be reached via e-Mail at
Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgandaReport.Com. Ms. Kimberley maintains an
edifying and frequently updated blog at freedomrider.blogspot.com. 
More of her work is also available at her Black Agenda Report archive
page.