Promises To Keep

"Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics" by Joe Biden is a deeply personal, engaging memoir from the current U.S. Vice President. I have meant to read this book for over a year and I was not disappointed. Unlike most of the "campaign books" written before 2008, Mr. Biden's book is more than just a political screed: it is the inspiring story of a man whose life embody compassion, empathy, and a belief in what America can do.

The tone is very readable. It is clear that the book was dictated and I can almost imagine him speaking as I read it (he says so in his acknowledgement at the end of the book). At times, this colloquial tone hinders the writing, which does not flow as well as a book which was written down exclusively. But this is small flaw given the ideas that the book represents.

Through the lens of his extensive life, the reader gets to see not just what Mr. Biden believes but how those values were shaped. He is not a perfect person and he does not pretend to be- he can be petty, angry, and make wrong decisions. But he tries not blame anyone but himself and is willing to take responsibility for his own actions. He proves himself to be a man of profound integrity who can hold high principles but not be swallowed up by them. I don't want to focus on the biographical details here but it suffices to say that Joe Biden has been through many things and his picked himself back up and pushed forward- as his father mention says (I'm paraphrasing)- the worth of man is not that determined by the fact that he failed but that he gets up after falling.

Along the way, we engage with some important issues about what it means to be American. One example is Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court, which wrestled with many integral issues surrounding the Constitution that I had never considered. Biden argues that the question was whether there were rights beyond those enumerated in the Constitution and he argues that our rights are not given by the government but are natural rights. It is a belief in a "living document" that can change and evolve as opposed to a "strict constructionist" view that rests on the original intent of the authors.

For me, it was unnerving to hear a plain account of what seemed to happen in the George W. Bush administration, an administration that to Biden showed immense potential but became swept up in neoconservative theology. The first term of the second Bush administration was in large part a war between the internationalism of Colin Powell and the State Department and the Machiavellian machinations of Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. The later showed political savvy and a profound disconnect from reality that that makes one angry and confused. Even more ominous was to read sections about Afghanistan where the problems Biden saw in 2002 and that were on the horizon have come to pass today with a vengeance.

One fact that struck me while reading this is that I can really see why President Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as Vice-President. His range of experiences, his candor, and his values reflect those that the Obama administration has sought to emulate. There are also many odd parallels between Biden and Obama- inspiring rhetoric, accusations of being all style and no substance, etc...I believe strongly in that Biden was unfairly judged when running for President in 1988 and 2008 (I would have voted for him had he not dropped out) but it is comforting to know that this man has the president's ear and is a part of all major decisions in the White House. This book is well worth the read and has reconfirmed my belief that his compassion, tenacity, and integrity makes Vice President Biden is one of the great American statesmen of the past forty years.