Rice offers foreign policy expertise

The argument

Rice's foreign policy background places her in a strong position to become Biden's vice president as she is well equipped to restore American's foreign alliances. A signature of President Trump's time in office has been his ability to pull out of countless foreign policy agreements and international organisations under his "America First" policy. For example, he has dismantled the Iran nuclear deal, pulled out of the World Health Organization, and Paris Climate Agreement. The result of this has been a string of tense relationships with foreign allies. Biden has expressed his intention to reverse, dismantle, or change many on President Trump's actions, and Rice's background in global affairs makes her well suited to help Biden in this role. The Washington Monthly points out that Rice would be a useful asset in tackling the challenges posed by China and Russia especially. Biden faces a difficult road ahead if he is elected with a lot of ground to cover and he needs someone he knows he can work with and who can work with him. Rice and Biden have a well-established working relationship, as she was National Security Adviser under the Obama administration. They have worked together a lot before, and Rice's experiences in the White House is a big asset as they will both be able to jump right in and get to work without losing time transitioning to the rhythm of the White House. Rice's expertise in international affairs and her experience with the executive branch of government makes her a strong contender for Vice President.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Rice has played an instrumental role in America's international affairs throughout her career in foreign policy, giving many of her opponents ample ammunition to attack her with. There is concern that if Biden were to choose Rice, her handling of foreign affairs will tarnish Biden's campaign as criticism has come from both Republicans and Democrats. Rice does have an impressive foreign policy and affairs background, but so does Biden. In fact, that was a contributing factor to Obama picking Biden as his running mate in 2008. Biden recently stated: "I understand the national security and intelligence issues,” he said. “That’s what I’ve done my whole life. Trump has no notion of it. None.” If Biden already ticks the foreign policy box, should he choose a VP who can add another dimension to his administration?

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Expertise in restoring alliances is a qualification for the office rather than a reason to prefer this candidate to the others — each sibling position names someone with a claim of her own, and the premise never compares them. [Rejecting P2] An established working relationship is an argument for a smooth start, which the counter meets on its own terms: a running mate duplicating the nominee's strongest area adds less than one covering a gap, and the same long record that supplies the expertise also supplies the material for attack.