Warren isn’t in this thing for personal aggrandizement. If she’s earned anything these last years, it’s trust of her sincerity and convictions. She’s held true to them, always fighting for what’s best even if at times she ends up being the reluctant warrior. Remember, we had to drag her kicking and screaming into the Senate race. Regardless, we know she can play the inside game and win, and she knows that as well. We know she can play the electoral Senate game and win, and she knows that as well.

It’s rare to have someone with that skill set. It gives her multiple hands, and she gets to decide which play gets her closest to her goals.

In short, she can 1) stay in the Senate as one of 100, and try to influence enough of her colleagues to make shit happen, then worry whether the House will follow suit, or 2) be the nation’s No. 2 elected official, be in the room when myriad decisions get made, and only have to worry about convincing one person.

We’ve seen the importance of nominating good people to executive posts, and we’ve seen the power of executive orders to bypass congressional intransigence—two areas that a Senator Elizabeth Warren would get shut out of. The executive branch simply has more power, and it doesn’t have to be showy power. “I don’t see Joe Biden” doesn’t mean he isn’t working his influence behind the scenes, were real power is wielded.

In any case, she’s making those calculations, and it’s clear she’s decided that being vice president gets everyone closer to fulfilling her goals. So if nothing else, trust her to know where she can be most effective.