Joe Biden is Obama's pick, sources confirm
His abundant foreign policy experience is considered a boost to the Democratic ticket.
CHICAGO — Barack Obama has tapped Joseph R. Biden Jr. as his running mate, bringing to the Democratic ticket a veteran senator with deep expertise in international relations, two high-level Democratic operatives told The Times on Friday.
The news broke after a full day of intense media speculation that included stakeouts at the homes of the top three contenders. The Obama campaign had hoped to keep the selection secret until the Illinois senator could reveal it to his supporters in text messages.
Late in the day, media reports indicated that the other main candidates -- Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine -- had been told they were out of the running, and attention turned to Biden, who remained secluded.
Joe Biden: In some editions, an article about Joe Biden in Section A on Aug. 23 said that the vice presidential nominee's first wife and their infant daughter died in a car accident in 1972 as she was driving their three children from Delaware to Washington. They had been shopping for a Christmas tree when the accident happened.
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden could help offset Obama's relative inexperience in foreign policy. Obama, a 47-year-old first-term senator, has been ridiculed by his Republican rival, John McCain, as too naive to be president.
Biden, 65, emerged earlier this week as a top choice. The Times reported Wednesday that the Delaware senator had met repeatedly with campaign officials and that the Secret Service was preparing to protect him.
On Friday, one of the Democrats working with the campaign said the Secret Service had been dispatched and a plane readied to take Biden to Springfield, Ill., where Obama plans to roll out his vice presidential pick today at a rally at the Old State Capitol.
Obama campaign officials declined to confirm Friday night that Biden was Obama's selection as his running mate.
A Roman Catholic born to a working-class family in Scranton, Pa., Biden might also help Obama draw blue-collar Catholic voters who formed a core constituency for New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in her primary battle with Obama.
Biden has already demonstrated an appetite for defending Obama and taking on McCain, particularly on foreign policy issues. In May, he criticized President Bush for attacking those like Obama who favor reaching out diplomatically to regimes like Iran and North Korea.
The senator also offers a compelling personal story. His first wife, Neilia Hunter, died in a car accident in 1972 as she was driving their three children shortly after his election as U.S. senator. Their infant daughter was also killed but their two sons -- Beau and Hunter -- survived their injuries.
Biden, then 30, was sworn in as a first-term senator at his sons' bedside.
