Anyone who has listened to Joe Biden must be wondering if Dems have their own Dan Quayle, but of course, we know that’s just not possible because Democrats are smart. They may say stupid, ignorant or insulting things sometimes, but we all know that they’re really intelligent. Just ask them, they’ll tell you.

As that’s an undisputed fact backed up by the media, we must assume that Joe Biden can’t possibly be suffering from Quaylitis; therefore, I had to come up with another theory to explain his case of political foot-in-mouth disease. I think I’ve found it in this quote from Politico:

And in a 2005 appearance on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Biden in an answer that was excerpted in the recent McCain ad, said that he “would be honored to run with, or against, John McCain, because I think the country would be better off — be well off no matter who …”

Stewart interrupted him, saying “Did I hear with?”

When Biden began to offer a noncommittal answer, Stewart pressed him.

“Don’t become cottage cheese, my friend. Say it.”

And Biden responded, “The answer is yes.”

There it is: Biden is living out a subconscious political fantasy of running with John McCain. How else to explain his recent “gird your loins” speech to a group of supporters?

I thought Dems didn’t believe in pre-emptive strikes, but that speech reads like a daisy-cutter designed to forestall a wholesale exodus of support when Obama is “tested” by the Big Bads after he is elected. The Obama camp’s attempt to spin it into nothing more than a general statement that any new president will be tested doesn’t pass the smell test: Biden was quite specific that they would test Obama precisely because he was young and inexperienced, neither of which adjective applies to John McCain.

To be fair to Biden: He did emphasize how brilliant and steel-spined his running mate is, even while imploring supporters not to turn tail and run when they see Obrilliance make a decision that doesn’t look quite right to them.

Frankly, I don’t think Biden has to anything to worry about with the group he was addressing. They are, after all, fundraisers, not likely to run even if North Korea launches against the Pacific Coast. (Oh, right. This was in Seattle. Maybe he should worry.)

Anyway, it’s the middle, that great Jello® of American politics, which jumps on whatever bandwagon seems to be most musical at the moment and will be equally quick to leap off at the first sour notes.

Still, his plea for understanding begs the question: Just what does Biden think his running mate will do that won’t appear to be the right answer “at first?” And how long are his supporters supposed to wait before they are allowed to judge the situation for themselves? Or are they allowed to do that? So much of the Obama campaign has been based in hope, one wonders. Or at least, one should.