An elephant.
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In a slightly different universe, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) would be America's vice president right now instead of Kamala Harris. A new book reports that it almost happened, except that Joe Biden was worried about having to spend the campaign against Donald Trump fighting "birther" accusations.

As Barack Obama's vice president, Biden saw up close how Trump rose to political prominence using false accusations that America's first Black president wasn't really American. And he reportedly determined that Duckworth — an American citizen and war hero born in Thailand to a Thai mother and American father — was just too politically risky to join his campaign.

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who has spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic, The Kansas City Star and Heatmap News. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.