WASHINGTON — Joe Biden is facing growing calls to select a Black woman as his running mate as an acknowledgement of their critical role in the Democratic Party and a response to the nationwide protests against racism and inequality.

The shifting dynamics were clear late Thursday when Amy Klobuchar took herself out of contention for the vice presidency. The Minnesota senator, who is white, told MSNBC that “this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket.”

(Reuters) - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar effectively pulled herself out of contention to be Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate on Thursday, saying she felt that the historic moment required picking a woman of color.

“This is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket, and there are so many incredible qualified women,” she said in an interview on MSNBC. “If you want to heal this nation right now – my party, yes, but our nation – this is sure a hell of a way to do it.”

Every now and then, I start writing a Corner post and never get around to finishing it. Back at the end of May, I started writing a response to John McCormack’s assessment that Amy Klobuchar’s prospects of becoming Joe Biden’s running mate were quickly shrinking. I thought John’s assessment was sound, but that the political environment was frequently changing, and that if Biden thought Klobuchar was the best choice to take over as president and serve as vice president, he might still pick her anyway.