the court jester

when obama was elected, ryan and i consoled ourselves with the prospect of laughing at joe biden for the next four years.  unfortunately, the new president caught on fairly quickly that his VP was the comic relief for "the other side," and wasted no time in shutting him up.  so, we were delighted to read this commentary from WSJ's james taranto:

He's Such a Panic 
"Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would not recommend taking any commercial flight or riding in a subway car 'at this point' because swine flu virus can spread 'in confined places,' " Politico reports:

"I would tell members of my family--and I have--I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now," Biden said on NBC's "Today" show. "It's not that it's going to Mexico. It's [that] you're in a confined aircraft. When one person sneezes, it goes all the way through the aircraft. That's me. . . .

"So, from my perspective, what it relates to is mitigation. If you're out in the middle of a field when someone sneezes, that's one thing. If you're in a closed aircraft or closed container or closed car or closed classroom, it's a different thing."

So, to sum up: Avoid all forms of public and commercial transportation. If you need to travel, go by car--alone. Avoid other people at all times while indoors. If you must be in the presence of other human beings, make sure it is in a vast open field.

The White House was forced to issue a statement explaining that Biden really meant to say something completely different, and altogether reasonable:

"On the Today Show this morning, the vice president was asked what he would tell a family member who was considering air travel to Mexico this week. The advice he is giving family members is the same advice the administration is giving to all Americans: that they should avoid unnecessary air travel to and from Mexico. If they are sick, they should avoid airplanes and other confined public spaces, such as subways. This is the advice the vice president has given family members who are traveling by commercial airline this week. As the president said just last night, every American should take the same steps you would take to prevent any other flu: Keep your hands washed; cover your mouth when you cough; stay home from work if you're sick and keep your children home from school if they're sick."

That should probably read "keep your hands clean" or "wash your hands often"; "keep your hands washed" doesn't quite make sense.

Under normal circumstances, for the vice president of the United States to say what Biden said would have risked setting off a panic. Fortunately, everyone discounts for the fact that the vice president is Joe Biden.

Unfortunately, if President Obama were unable to perform the duties of his office, the vice president would become president--and the vice president is Joe Biden. That's no reason to panic, only to be afraid.