Biden, for his part, has become the country’s leading Obama-ologist. Dick Cheney never spoke at meetings. Biden has his weekly presidential lunches, as Cheney did, but he does speak at meetings, depending on the president’s body language.
There are times when the president is leaning back when he seems to relish Biden’s interventions. During the Afghan debate, the president clearly used the vice president to push the skeptic’s case.
On other occasions, when the president doesn’t seem to have made up his mind, or when he is leaning forward, hunched over the table, Biden holds back, letting the arguments play.
Inside the administration, in other words, Biden doesn’t have the class-clown reputation that he has on the late-night comedy shows. White House aides speak of him respectfully and regularly mention his role when decisions are made. Among other things, he has emerged as the special assistant for body English — sent to Capitol Hill, Poland and beyond — when the administration needs somebody to hold a hand and show empathy.
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