Obama’s selection of Joe Biden presents a number of problems, but one of the biggest I can foresee if the “Washington insider” role the Obama campaign wants to paint McCain as playing. Obama’s released several ads labeling John McCain as nothing but another Washington insider. Obama’s whole campaign revolves around the hope-changeyness he can supposedly bring to Washington. It’s his attempt to turn his lack of experience into a positive. He’s not inexperienced, he’s just not a Washington insider! Washington’s broken, so we need someone fresh and new — a savior, even! — to come in and fix our political system!

The thing is, no one denies there are problems in Washington. Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals: we all agree that a lot of changes need to be made. The difference of opinion is on what changes need to be made and how. And if Barack Obama wants to run his entire campaign on the empty rhetoric of “change”, then how does Joe Biden fit into that? As Erik Erickson points out at Redstate:

1. When Joe Biden entered the United States Senate, John McCain was in his fifth year of captivity at the Hanoi Hilton.

2. Barry Obama was eight when Biden began his Senate career.

3. Nixon was starting his second term as President.

Joe Biden is more of a Washington insider than McCain is. I don’t necessarily see that as a negative, but Barack Obama has been portraying it as something terrible for his entire campaign. What now? Does he change his attitude about “Washington insiders”, or does he just ignore the contradiction? It’s just another sign that Biden was not the best pick for Obama to make.