Foreign policy got Biden the VP nod

Six-term senator brings experience to ticket; But some say the choice highlights a weakness

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running mate pleased many Democrats who are concerned about Obama's perceived shortcomings in foreign affairs, but it worried others who fear the pick reinforces Republican attacks on Obama's experience and Biden's past negative comments about Obama will be used against the Democratic ticket.

Obama, who vows to change Washington, explained his choice of a man who has been in the US Senate for 36 years by saying that in Biden he had found the ideal partner to make Washington work.

"Joe Biden is that rare mix," Obama told a boisterous rally yesterday in front of the old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., the same venue where the Illinois senator announced his presidential bid nearly 19 months ago. "For decades, he has brought change to Washington, but Washington hasn't changed him. He's an expert on foreign policy whose heart and values are firmly rooted in the middle class. He has stared down dictators and spoken out for America's cops and firefight ers. He is uniquely suited to be my partner as we work to put our country back on track."

The 65-year-old Biden, flashing his trademark smile as he bounded onstage to Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising," stepped immediately into his role as attack dog. He described Republican presidential candidate John McCain as "genuinely a friend of mine" who has served the country with "extraordinary courage," then quickly derided him for supporting the policies of President Bush.

"You can't change America and end this war in Iraq when you declare - and again these are John's words - 'No one has supported President Bush in Iraq more than I have,' " Biden told the crowd of supporters, many of them waving freshly printed "Obama-Biden" signs. "You can't change America when you know your first four years as president will look exactly like the last eight years of George Bush's presidency."

Biden also didn't hesitate to needle his friend of 35 years. Describing families sitting at kitchen tables and worrying about bills, he referred to McCain's wealth, including at least seven homes. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's not a worry John McCain has to worry about," Biden said. "He'll have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at."

But the selection of Biden also opened another avenue of attack for McCain, whose campaign immediately sought to characterize the decision as an effort to make up for Obama's perceived lack of experience.

"He is ceding the point that he doesn't have the foreign policy experience to be president," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said on CNN. The McCain campaign also released a television ad that showed Biden questioning Obama's readiness to be president when they were both seeking the Democratic nomination.

After weeks of speculation, Obama settled on Biden because of a combination of personal chemistry with the Delaware senator, Biden's foreign policy résumé, and a belief that Biden's working-class Irish-Catholic roots will help in key battleground states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania. In his introduction yesterday, Obama mentioned three times that Biden comes from Scranton, Pa.

Biden could also attract former supporters of Hillary Clinton, who yesterday praised Obama's choice of Biden, calling him "an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant."

But some Clinton loyalists might be miffed that their candidate was not seriously considered despite the closeness of the primary campaign, analysts said. Biden received about 9,500 votes in the caucuses and primaries before dropping out in early January, compared with about 18 million votes for Clinton, according to an analysis by Professor Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.

"This is acceptable vice presidential choice," Sabato said. "It is not a game-changer. It doesn't dramatically alter the lineup."

Three-quarters of voters surveyed by the Washington Post on Friday night said Biden's selection would not affect their vote, and more than half of Democrats in a New York Times poll this month said they didn't know enough about him to form an opinion. But even an uptick of a percentage point or two could be enough to help Obama in a swing state.

Analysts said Biden will be closely watched to see whether he continues his penchant for speaking too long and making gaffes. One of Biden's most quoted comments during his ill-fated presidential campaign was when, in trying to pay a compliment to Obama, he described Obama as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." Biden apologized.

"There are questions how he will perform on the campaign trail and whether they will be able to keep a tight leash on his mouth," said Stu Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter.

Biden's speech yesterday was typically free-wheeling. At one point he called his wife, Jill, "drop-dead gorgeous," while adding that she "also has her doctorate degree, which is a problem." At another juncture, he called his new running mate "Barack America." The crowd corrected him, chanting, "Obama, Obama!"

The selection of Biden could also influence McCain's decision about a running mate because the Arizona senator may want someone to play a comparable attack-dog role. His vice presidential candidates include Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts who has been among the most avid surrogates for McCain.

While hoping that Biden will help him win Pennsylvania, Obama in the end decided not to pick two candidates who might have helped in traditionally Republican states, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia and Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana. Biden's home state of Delaware, with only three electoral votes, typically votes Democratic.

Chris Lehane, a Democratic strategist who was once Vice President Al Gore's press secretary, said Biden will be successful if he is perceived as helping Obama win over working-class voters. "The pick works if it is positioned as Obama picking a lunch pail Dunkin' Donuts Democrat to complement his Starbucks Democrat brand," Lehane said.

But the selection could backfire if McCain and Republicans are able to use it to highlight Obama's weaknesses, Lehane said.

Obama might have fed that line of attack, introducing Biden yesterday as the "next president" before correcting himself. McCain's camp called it a "Freudian slip."

"Barack Obama sounded as though he turned over the top spot on the ticket today to his new mentor, when he introduced Joe Biden as the next president. The reality is that nothing has changed since Joe Biden first made his assessment that Barack Obama is not ready to lead. He wasn't ready then and he isn't ready now," McCain spokesman Ben Porritt said in a statement.

Obama and Biden have similar voting records. A survey by National Journal magazine said Obama had the Senate's most liberal voting record in 2007, while Biden had the third most liberal record. Obama has objected to the way the magazine compiles its ratings.

Biden disagreed with Obama by voting to authorize the Iraq war and has at times been critical of Obama's Iraq policy. But Biden has also been a critic of the Bush administration's handling of the war.

Yesterday, Obama lauded his running mate, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as "one of America's leading voices on national security."

"Joe Biden is what so many others pretend to be - a statesman with sound judgment who doesn't have to hide behind bluster to keep America strong."

Michael Kranish can be reached at kranish@globe.com