Okay, before today, I've never even considered the possibility of this... but it's something to chew on.
IF hilary doesn't run... (If she runs, let's assume it's a coronation).
IF she doesn't run... Biden will probably be the Dem in the race with the MOST experience. He's been in the White House for 8 years, seeing and learning everything. Decades in congress. Compare that with Rand and his epic 2 or 3 years legislating very minimally to avoid stepping on toes.
He's avoided scandal. Zero major conflicts (Haliburton would have hurt Cheney had he run in 2008).
He'll have more experience than any GOP candidate not named Jeb.
Repubs are slowly self-destructing. SOME of them. Rand pissed off his base by supporting amnesty. Christie closes bridges and lies about it.
He's batshit crazy, but fearless too... He neutralized Paul Ryan and really showed the bright young face of the GOP was able to be subdued, controlled, and bulled by an old man with fake hair and fake teeth.
2016 could be one of those years where it's a bunch of young newbies from the GOP, a bunch of boring faces from the DNC... and then, crazy ol' Uncle Joe that could really just be the right guy in the right spot at the time time. (If it's Jeb vs Hilary, Biden has no chance... but Perry vs Biden... hmmm that could go either way).
BEFORE you say it's crazy... looking back, NOBODY thought Biden would end up veep back in 2006 when he was a walking punchline and just joking around at debates... and he's been a heartbeat from the most powerful office in the world for almost 6 years now. People continually UNDERESTIMATE Joe Biden.
So yeah, in a perfect storm of jeb/hilary sitting out (unlikely), Biden might be just good enough to back into the presidency, like he's done with everything else.