Fear and whining on the campaign trail.

Joe Biden may be lying about his son’s deployment to Iraq. He may be lying about his own feelings and certainly appeared to manufacture his “emotional” response during the debates on October 2^nd. He may be all of these things, be may be none of these things. But one thing is certain.

Joe Biden is a whiner.

His mediocre performance in the vice presidential debates established him as the bloviating do nothing he has been in the senate for nearly four decades. One may infer from the debate that either he is far less capable than Obama paints him to be (if you subscribe to the school of thought that Sarah Palin is a rank amateur) or Sarah Palin is as capable as Joe.

Fending off the obvious disdain from moderator Gwen Ifill (an avowed Obama fan), Governor Palin stood her ground well with Joe’s rhetoric and demonstrated that hey, she is as capable as the politician from Delaware. I continue to be less worried about the election than ever. The recent financial crisis, nearly the sole result of ill conceived democratic sponsored legislation, has shown how powerful external events are in regards to shaping government response. In my estimation, John McCain still represents a far better candidate, if only for the fact that his record actually reflects some insight and principal in consideration of the effect on future events.

But there is one area of concern that I feel especially critical of with regard to Joe Biden. His son, Joseph Robinette Biden “Beau” III, is likely to deploy to Iraq in the next few days. This was used by Joe Sr. during the debate as a point of connectedness to the American people and a counter to Sarah Palin whose own son recently deployed.

Let me cite a few critical differences between his son’s deployment and that of Sarah Palin’s (and by extension John McCain’s youngest sons two tours as an enlisted Marine) son Track Palin. Beau, who is a captain in the Delaware National Guard, will be assigned as a JAG officer (Judge Advocate General) with the unit (261^st Signal Brigade) when (and if) it deploys to Iraq. Track has been assigned to a Brigade Combat Team in Diyala Province and will face action almost immediately upon arrival in theater, as an enlisted soldier.

Beau joined the National Guard after a visit to Kosovo and (as near as I can tell) prior to September 11^th. Beau joined at 34, just shy of the cut off date for enlistment. There were likely many reasons for his joining, some of them were likely political. I took on my own commission late in life for my own reasons, none of which were political!

Beau and Track differed in age by 17 years. Beau, the present Attorney General of Delaware, may or may not deploy. He will serve in a potentially dangerous area, but his decisions were made with the full cognizance of an adult. Track will be serving in a combat zone, on the front lines of the conflict. His decisions were made with the zeal of youthful patriotism and conviction.

I respect Capt. Biden’s service and commitment. He is juggling a lot of responsibilities and reflects the best of our nation. That small percentage who elects to serve the public good. I am sure his father’s concerns are real – no parent ever truly let’s go of their children, no matter how old they are.

But to call a thirty-nine year old father of two, who is the Attorney General of Delaware, a “child” is beyond pandering to the American public.

Get a grip Joe, your whining is simply pathetic.