While Biden is a skilled orator, he is often mocked for being verbose. His words have also come back to haunt him.
He created a stir early in the past year's Democratic presidential race when he told a reporter for the New York Observer that Obama was "the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." He apologized, saying, "I deeply regret any offense my remark . . . might have caused anyone."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday, August 30, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 58 words Type of Material: Correction
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.
Last year, referring to Indian immigrants, Biden said, "You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. It's a point. I'm not joking!"
And when he ran for president in 1988, Biden was accused of plagiarism when he did not credit Neil Kinnock, then leader of the British Labor Party, for much of his stump speech.
Before heading to the convention, Obama and Biden are expected to make appearances in a series of critical states, arriving in Denver on Wednesday. Obama's vice presidential choice is slated to speak that night and Obama will address his supporters on Thursday in a football stadium that can seat 76,000 people.
In recent days, Obama was said to be focusing on Biden, Bayh and Kaine, though other names continued to surface.
In looking for a vice presidential candidate, Obama sought to remedy several vulnerabilities as a candidate. As a first-term U.S. senator, his legislative record is thin, and he has little experience in foreign policy or military affairs.
Politically, Obama has yet to demonstrate deep strength among white working-class voters, a weakness that was exposed during his long battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. He also has aimed to win over women voters and others who supported his primary rival, Sen. Clinton.
The selection of Biden caps a screening process managed in secrecy by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the former president, and Eric Holder, a former U.S. deputy attorney general, since June, when Obama clinched the delegates he needed for the nomination.
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stuart.silverstein@latimes.com
johanna.neuman@latimes.com
Times staff writers Doyle McManus and Dan Morain contributed to this report. Silverstein reported from Chicago, Neuman from Washington.
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
About Biden
Name: Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.
Age: 65; born Nov. 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pa.
Experience: U.S. senator since 1973. Sought presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008.
Education: Bachelor's in history and political science, University of Delaware, 1965; law degree, Syracuse University, 1968.
Family: Married Neilia Hunter in 1966 and had three children, Beau, Hunter and Naomi. His wife and daughter Naomi died in a car crash in 1972. Married Jill Jacobs in 1977; they have one daughter, Ashley. Beau Biden is now Delaware's attorney general.
Source: Associated Press
