Biden's foot-in-mouth moment

Biden:

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," he said. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."

Lurch at Main and Central:

What Senator Biden apparently said was pretty simple in my mind. He was trying to be graciously complimentary. I focused on the word “clean” and felt he meant “clean cut”. With the aid of the always-useful second thought I think he also meant clean as in the sense of “free of baggage,” most especially so after CNN committed journalism and put Fox Noise Channel’s attempted madrassa slur to bed. It’s important to remember that Senator Biden was speaking extemporaneously, and everyone fluffs now and again.

The problem, as always, is context, and I think here we have a case of focusing exclusively on a single word rather than the statement as a whole. Set aside the fact that whatever his good points, Barack Obama isn't the first mainstream blah blah blah. Mainstream actual viable politician well regarded in his party and whatever else passes for an atmosphere a few miles west of me? Maybe, though that's less of his own doing than we would like to believe (but maybe more than my inner cynic says).

Second, look at the four adjectives he chose: articulate, bright, clean and good-looking. The only one I would consider an always unquestionable complement is good-looking, though it bespeaks a certain vapidity. (And I always have to question what people mean by that--is it that Obama isn't dark? Is Biden comforted, as so many have been before, by the presence, real or imagened, of some leavening?)

Bright has always stuck me as mixed bag, an impression somewhat bolstered by the definition in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary:

3 a : showing mental quickness, ready understanding or learning, prompt responses, or originality b : showing lively animation, vivacity, or activity c : showing glib quickness or facile resourcefulness without deep intellectuality

I'm not saying Biden was definitely thinking about c, but even the a definition can be seen as favoring quickness over depth of understanding.

Now for the word that everyone is tripping over: clean. I, too, heard a lot more "clean cut" and "scandal free" (as if any Democrat will long remain so in the current media environment), and thus my panties stayed moderately unbunched. Again, I thought it was foolish diction, but I'm pretty sure part of the job description for a senator is to talk and talk and talk and talk, especially on hot topics, especially off the cuff, especially in front of cameras, especially so as not to step on your dick--and here Biden failed miserably.

Articulate is the one that really sealed the deal for me. I don't care if he didn't mean it negatively and truly doesn't have a racist bone in his body (which I highly doubt, as it seems to be ground into our genes to some extent) or whatever, but how many kinds of fool do you have to be to go anywhere near such a stand-in for the dismissive "well spoken"? If you're trying to say Obama is a powerful public speaker, say that. If you're trying to say he has a pleasant speaking voice, say that. Set a staffer on finding a one- or two-word well known synonym so the press corps won't get too far behind in scribbling your words, but don't take a quicksand shortcut like "articulate." Again, not even close to fulfilling the job requirements.

While I don't think we need to do what should have been done to Trent Lott, I'm not upset that Biden's out of the race--I would fully support term limits on presidential campaigns some days, as these same characters keep popping up, in both major parties and especially in all the little fun parties, thinking that this will be the year that the talking points they developed five elections or more ago will finally resonate with the voting public--and given his record and the opponents he already had, there's almost no chance I would have voted for him. I guess I'd rather all incompetents self-destructed with such quickness, and without taking the whole country and much of the world with them.