The Obama-Biden ticket: An analysis

In choosing Biden as his running mate, Barack Obama passed over a number of other serious candidates, none more prominent than Obama's main rival in the Democratic primaries, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

Senator Clinton's aides said their boss had never undergone the vetting required of most vice-presidential candidates and it remained unclear whether she had even been under seious consideration. On Aug. 23, she said she was pleased with Obama’s choice, and called Biden “an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant”.

The campaign of Obama's GOP rival, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, portrayed Biden as a Washington insider, saying the choice was the status-quo pick by a candidate who has insisted he represents change.

Before he dropped out of the presidential race, Biden was a harsh critic of Obama’s lack of experience, said McCain spokesman Ben Porritt.

“Biden has denounced Barack Obama’s poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing – that Barack Obama is not ready to be president,” said Mr. Porritt.

Republicans are sure to exploit such past statements. For example: In fall 2007, regarding Obama’s credentials, he said the presidency is “not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.”

In addition, the GOP is sure to remind voters that in 1988 Biden withdrew from his first presidential race amidst accusations that he had plagiarized passages in a campaign speech from former British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock.

Given his running-mate options, Barack Obama made the second-best choice with Biden, says political historian Allan Lichtman of American University in Washington. Hillary Clinton would have been the best pick in Lichtman’s judgment.

Unlike Clinton, Biden has no national following and does not generate campaign electricity. But Lichtman says Biden’s years of Washington service mean he is qualified actually to serve as vice president – and to step into the presidency if required to do so.

“He is a meat and potatoes Democrat with appeal to white working-class voters,” says Lichtman.

Obama announced his vice presidential pick two days before the beginning of the Democratic convention in Denver. The official word came in a 3 a.m. EDT text message from the Obama campaign to the phones and computers of supporters.

Though word of the selection had leaked out several hours prior, Biden’s selection was successfully kept secret by the campaign for several days. Other vice-presidential finalists included Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh.

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