All eyes on VP choice Biden; Obama chose 'dynamic' partner, Clinton says
The morning after his selection as running mate is announced, the senator leaves his Wilmington, Del., home and heads for Illinois for a rally today with Obama.
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. left his home in Wilmington, Del., this morning as a throng of well-wishers and a gaggle of cameras gathered in his front yard. One young fan sported a handmade sign saying, "Congrats Sen. Biden."
As he traveled to Springfield, Ill., for a 2 p.m. CDT rally with Barack Obama, Biden kissed his 92-year-old mother goodbye, waved to neighbors, many waving flags and talking to friends on their cellphones as they applauded the newly crowned Democratic vice presidential selection.
But if Biden was holding his words, plenty of others were eager to talk, analyzing the pick and the prospects for an Obama-Biden ticket in the fall.
New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who offered a spirited challenge to Obama during the primaries, issued a statement saying that Biden is "an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant." She also called him "a purposeful and dynamic vice president who will help Sen. Obama win the presidency and govern."
The McCain campaign responded quickly to the news, issuing a statement and rushing out a TV ad noting that Biden, while running for president earlier this year, had questioned Obama's lack of experience.
"There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden," 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."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who will chair the Democratic National Convention that begins Monday, said Obama's choice of Biden "demonstrates his commitment to change and for a strong and respected role for America in the world. By choosing someone of great leadership, Barack Obama has demonstrated his own."
Even some Clinton supporters -- amid threats to sit out the election or even vote for McCain -- hailed the selection. "A great choice," said Lynn Cutler, a longtime Democratic activist and at-large Clinton delegate from Illinois. "He's a wonderful, warm human being." In an interview on National Public Radio, she added, "I know all the stuff that they're going to say. At the core, this is a man with wonderful values, who went home every night."
