Obama Taps Biden as Running Mate
By LIZ SIDOTI and NEDRA PICKLER,
AP
posted: 2 HOURS 25 MINUTES AGO
WASHINGTON (Aug. 23) - Barack Obama named Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as his
vice presidential running mate early Saturday, balancing his ticket with a
seasoned congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues.
Obama announced the pick on his Web site with a photo of the two men and an
appeal for donations. A text message went out shortly afterward that said,
"Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee."
Biden, 65, has twice sought the White House, and is a Catholic with
blue-collar roots, a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a
long-winded orator.
Across more than 30 years in the Senate, he has served at various times not
only as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee but also as head of the
Judiciary Committee, with its jurisdiction over anti-crime legislation,
Supreme Court nominees and Constitutional issues.
In selecting Biden, Obama passed over several other potential running mates,
none more prominent than former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, his
tenacious rival in dozens of primaries and caucuses.
Obama's campaign arranged a debut for the newly minted ticket on Saturday
outside the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill.
Obama's decision leaked to the media several hours before his aides planned
to send a text message announcing the running mate, negating a promise that
people who turned over their phone numbers would be the first to know who
Obama had chosen. The campaign scrambled to send the text message after the leak,
sending phones buzzing at the inconvenient time of just after 3 a.m. on the
East coast.
Hundreds of miles to the west, carpenters, electricians, sound stage gurus
and others transformed the Pepsi Center in Denver into a made-for-television
convention venue.
Tucked away in one corner were thousands of lightweight rolled cardboard
tubes, ready-made handles for signs bearing the names of the Democratic ticket —
once the identity of Obama's running mate was known.
While Obama decided against adding Clinton to his ticket, he has gone to
great lengths to gain the confidence of her primary voters, agreeing to allow
her name to be placed in nomination at the convention and permitting a roll
call vote that threatens to expose lingering divisions within the party.
Biden slowly emerged as Obama's choice across a long day and night of
political suspense as other contenders gradually fell away.
First Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine let it be known that he had been ruled out.
Then came word that Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana had also been passed over.
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