Tammy Duckworth

Poor Colin Kahl. The Stanford professor is qualified, experienced, and shares President Biden’s views on defense and foreign policy. Ordinarily, that would be enough to get confirmed to a job like undersecretary of defense for policy. But no more! Three and a half years after #MeToo, the casting couch has migrated from Hollywood to Capitol Hill, thanks to Sen. Tammy Duckworth. On Tuesday, Sen. Duckworth announced that, since President Biden’s political appointees were insufficiently diverse, she would be voting against any Biden nominees with white skin color, starting with Kahl. The only exception, Duckworth said, would be for LGBTQ nominees. Well, Kahl will have a hard time pulling off a racial rebranding this late.

Tammy Duckworth, a junior senator from Illinois, is being considered by Joe Biden’s vetting team for the VP slot. While she is not yet viewed as a leading prospect, this battle-tested lawmaker has been elbowing herself into serious contention over the past several weeks. Whomever Biden picks to be his running mate has to present herself as a potential president, considering that Biden might only be able to serve one term. Emerging now as a strong and unproblematic leader has real currency in the selection process. Duckworth seems to be having this moment at exactly the right time, and it could be moving her one step closer to the White House.