The swine flu scare has made it clear why Barack Obama picked Joe Biden for vice president.

As the White House’s unfiltered talking head, Biden is the perfect warning bell to show the White House when things are veering out of control. A kind of mental canary in the governmental mine shaft.

As the new strain of flu spread around the country, you could imagine the president going over a mental to-do list: Monitor situation carefully. Check. Make sure the medical infrastructure is working to prepare for any worst-case scenario. Check.

Be careful not to scare the public silly so they start cowering in their homes, terrified to get on a plane or even board the subway. Whoops.

“If you’re out in the middle of a field and someone sneezes, that’s one thing. If you’re in a closed aircraft or a closed container or closed car or closed classroom, it’s a different thing,” Biden babbled happily on the “Today” show. He also assured Matt Lauer that he had warned his family away from subways and that he “wouldn’t go anywhere in confined places now,” but unfortunately Lauer did not inquire whether the Oval Office counts as free range.