Joe Biden has officially selected Kamala Harris as his running mate (see Big Break: Joe Biden Has Made His VP Selection). The move was somewhat unexpected, as Susan Rice had recently been assumed to be the front runner. But Harris it is and Biden called her up to let her know he had chosen her.

Apparently, this task was so difficult that Biden needed a typed out script to get through it.

Biden's staff had to write a script for him so he'd know why he was even talking to Kamala Harris. "I'm calling you today because…" pic.twitter.com/9iUMnVzmtZ

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 11, 2020

Biden is also holding the phone upside down. Regardless, it’s a bit odd for him to not just have bullet points for such a simple call, but to literally have to have it written out why he’s even calling her. You’d think that’d be pretty well cemented in his mind at this point, but I guess not.

And while some of this is tongue in cheek, it’s pretty clear that Biden is the most scripted, controlled candidate in modern history. Even the pick of Harris appears to be out of his hands, as you’d expect no normal human being to pick as their running mate a person who has insinuated they are a racist and agreed they committed sexual assault. But here we are, with Harris on the ticket.

Heck, CNN is even saying the quiet part out loud.

Joe Biden made the pick that maximized his chances of continuing to make the race a straight referendum on Trump while also selecting someone whose resume suggests being ready to step in, if and when Biden decides to step aside. | Analysis by @CillizzaCNN https://t.co/Ek4d6sfGfT

— CNN (@CNN) August 11, 2020

They are already writing Biden’s political obituary and he’s not even President yet (nor is there any guarantee he will be). Harris is the real candidate at this point. The media are going to treat her like a transcendent queen. Harris appeals to all their sensibilities. Which, as my colleague Jeff Charles pointed out, is to say she makes all the white liberals in the media very excited.

Kamala Harris wasn't picked to appeal to the black community.

She was picked for white liberals. #KamalaHarrisForVP #KamalaHarris #KamalaHarris2020

— Jeff Charles, A Notable Exception (@JeffOnTheRight) August 12, 2020

Biden may be so far gone that he needs a professional script to make a simple phone call, but Harris is far more cunning and ambitious. That doesn’t make her a good politician. After all, she flamed out in December before the first primary. But it does make her someone who is willing to do anything to get to where she wants to be.

In the end, this is her ticket. Biden is just a pawn.