Boykoff: Obama’s rhetoric of ‘clean energy’ vs. the reality of climate change:

Should Obama switch up Clinton and Biden? Not so fast, argues Elizabeth Elfman, who writes:

“Biden is Obama’s polar opposite, a much-needed foil to Obama’s deficiencies. What Obama lacks in experience, Biden makes up for with 36 years in the Senate. Born to working parents in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden has given Obama a blue-collared edge, as well as a feeling of warmth and personality that is decidedly absent from the cool-headed president. As a veteran of sorrow, Biden softens and personalizes Obama. His off-color remarks, which have rallied cries of protest and calls for resignation, are assets rather than gaffes. Democrats hollering for a role reversal with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would be remiss in calling for this exuberant, energized vice president traded.”

http://www.policymic.com/articles/2374/why-biden-is-the-ideal-vp-for-obama-2012

I came across an article by Chris Good in The Atlantic and was struck by the following:

“A wave of recent surveys have shown that doubts about Obama’s birthplace are stunningly prevalent. In a CBS/New York Times poll, 25 percent of all respondents and 45 percent of Republicans said they do not think Obama was born in the United States. A total of 18 percent said they weren’t sure. According to Fox News, 24 percent do not think Obama was born in America.

Maybe, just maybe, those poll respondents don’t actually think what they say they think, Langer suggests. Maybe they say all this for some other reason — such as that they just don’t like the president.”