Pragmatism has a name, and it's Joe Biden.
When Barack Obama announced his running mate late last week via text message, I nodded. Yep.
Biden is a smart choice. A practical choice.
But also an interesting choice.
First, to the practical. Biden has broad and deep foreign policy experience, something Obama lacks. This is important in the America of the present, the America that is fighting wars in Afganistan and Iraq while the Russian and Iranian governments continue to make disturbing noises.
Biden has a long, Washington-insider history, something which Obama had fought against during the primaries, with all his talk about change and a new way of governing.
Biden also is popular among blue collar workers and Catholics, constituencies that Obama has found tough to woo.
So the choice of Biden is a safe choice. It's safe for most of Obama's liberal constituency as well, without being too scary to conservatives, the way a Hillary Clinton or Dennis Kucinich would have been.
Take the gay and lesbian example. Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, but also said that he thought gay marriage "was inevitable." And he said that in 2003, five long years ago.. He is for civil unions, and voted against the bill that would written "marriage is between a man and a woman" language into the Constitution.
A year ago, when asked about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell," he responded, "I've been to Afghanistan, I've been to Iraq seven times, I've been in the Balkans, I've been in these foxholes with these kids, literally in bunkers with them. Let me tell you something, nobody asked anybody else whether they're gay in those foxholes. Our allies - the British, the French, all our major allies - gays openly serve. I don't know the last time an American soldier said to a backup from a Brit, "Hey, by the way, let me check. Are you gay? Are you straight?" This is ridiculous."
He voted yes to including sexual orientation to the definition of hate crimes. He was integral in helping rid the country of the discriminatory HIV travel and immigration ban.
In short, his positions on gay issues are a lot like - Obama's.
Now to the interesting.
Biden isn't always careful about what he says.
For example, he called Barack Obama "clean and articulate," which has a racist edge. And last year, he declared that he didn't think Obama was ready to be president.
But Obama was able to put aside these insults and slights and look to the bigger picture. Joe Biden is someone he agrees with. Joe Biden is someone he admires. Joe Biden is someone he believes he can work with.
The pick of a running mate is said to have very little impact on an actual election - instead, it's seen as a candidate's first presidential decision, the way to get a small taste of what a candidate's presidency would be like.
What Obama shows here is a willingness to move beyond petty grievances for the common good.
And this is an important trait.
We need a leader who can work with people - in this country and others - who believe all sorts of things and who say all sorts of things.
We need a leader who is not afraid that he will highlight his weaknesses by hiring people who know more than he does in their particular area of expertise.
We need a leader who can bear up under insults and not take them personally.
So, I'm impressed by Obama's choice of Biden. Biden is not who I was hoping for - I was crossing my fingers for the very unlikely pick of Hillary Clinton, or the very possible Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who made it to the final top three.
But Joe Biden is a choice I respect and can live with. And it shows some very interesting things about Obama - that he can be practical when he needs to be, and that he won't just try to surf the unsteady winds of oratory; that he can look at the big picture, instead of being focused on issues of personal loyalty or slights; and that he isn't afraid to be surrounded by people who may know more than he does.
These are the sorts of differences that make a difference. These are the sorts of things that show us the kind of president Barack Obama will be.