by Thomas Blaire

Created on: August 20, 2009

Joe Biden was a common sense pick for VP whose Washington experience and blunt demeanor was an asset to the Obama Campaign in 2008. During the campaign, Biden reassured many voters that experience would have a voice in the White House but Obama has consistently marginalized Biden since his inauguration.

The conventional explanation for Biden's near invisible role in the Obama Administration is that Biden puts his foot in his mouth too often to be a valuable spokesman or negotiator. There's certainly some truth to this popular explanation because Biden has made some colorful statements (most recently in relation to Russia) that have harmed the White House agenda.

That being said, Biden's invisibility is, more than anything else, due to Hillary Clinton's appointment to run the State Department. Think about it, Biden is most experienced in foreign relations having served for decades on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and it was expected that he would be the White House's point man in diplomacy.

But Hillary Clinton's presidential personality immediately overshadowed Biden in the formative weeks of the Obama Administration. Biden has certainly made foreign visits and participated as an adviser on foreign relations but Hillary has grabbed the diplomatic spotlight and doesn't show any signs of giving it up.

Hillary's star role at the State Department has relegated Biden to tackling the second-tier international issues and providing advice to the President on matters both foreign and domestic. Remember though, Biden's role in the shadows is the traditional role of VPs in this nation's history.

The only reason that Biden appears to be a forgotten or invisible member of the Obama Administration is that his role is in direct contrast with Dick Cheney's high profile Vice Presidency. Cheney set an unreasonable standard for future Vice Presidents but Biden's role appears totally normal when compared to the roles of other VPs like Al Gore and George Herbert Walker Bush.

Biden might have an even more discreet profile than Gore and Bush for the simple reason that he has no future running for the Presidency whereas Gore and Bush were very much concerned with their future in the White House. After all, at 67, Biden isn't a likely contender in 2016.

Biden's role in the Obama Administration is one of active participation behind the scenes. He certainly shouldn't be considered a forgotten figure simply because Hillary overshadows him on foreign policy and Cheney set an unrealistic precedent for a powerful Vice Presidency.

Rather, Biden works in the role of the traditional VP who advises behind the scenes and participates in White House decision-making. Either way, his low profile shouldn't be interpreted as punishment for his occasional verbal gaffes.

Learn more about this author, Thomas Blaire.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.