Shifting world events helped fuel choice

Aide calls pick a 'personal decision'

WASHINGTON - In the beginning, Barack Obama was not entirely sold on Joe Biden. And Biden told friends that he was pessimistic of his chances of becoming Obama's Democratic running mate.

Over the course of two months, as the dynamics of the presidential campaign and world events shifted quickly, Biden's stock rose through one of the most rigorous vice presidential vetting processes that Democrats could recall. It was a process in which Obama applied intense secrecy, careful pragmatism, and political input from a team of internal and external advisers that have guided his campaign. And it ended Thursday night with a phone call from Obama giving Biden the news, while he was in a dentist's waiting room.

Yesterday, as the two men embraced before a crowd in Illinois, the new Democratic partnership made its debut. Yet in a moment that could have showcased Obama's decision-making, his top advisers made a concerted effort to not disclose how he made his choice, instead choosing to showcase the life stories of the two men on the ticket and to present Biden as a forceful new critic for Senator John McCain.

"It's a very personal decision," David Axelrod, the campaign's chief strategist, said in a brief interview yesterday. "He approached it in a very serious, sober, and reasoned way."

Obama reached the decision about 10 days ago while on a weeklong vacation to Hawaii. That week, Biden's strengths in foreign policy were highlighted by the conflict between Russia and Georgia, giving his prospects a further boost. Associates of the other main possibility on Obama's list, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, said Obama cited the situation in Georgia in breaking the news to Bayh on Friday that he had chosen Biden.

But people involved in the process said it was not just foreign policy that tilted the balance. They said Obama's political calculation has as much or more to do with the chance to capitalize on Biden's appeal among white working-class voters and his compelling personal story.

The plans for the announcement began to take shape early in July. Until the end, aides said, a small team inside the Chicago headquarters planned for four possibilities: Biden, Bayh, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Speeches were written, media plans were made, and private planes were at the ready to take any of the four to Springfield, Ill.

Biden was hardly considered a likely pick at the start of the process. His reputation for verbosity was Washington legend. While he impressed at the debates by defying expectations with his brevity, his presidential campaign foundered and ended quickly.

But Biden had some powerful patrons in his corner whose opinions Obama respected, like Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the vice chairman of the House Democratic caucus, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts - not only a respected Senate lion but, also, uncle to a senior member of Obama's vetting team, Caroline Kennedy.

As the vetting team sorted through Biden's financial statements, political statements, and medical records, Obama's top political aides reached out to friends in Obama's orbit to get a sense of what sort of politician Biden was. And as that process continued, the results belied Biden's reputation: Reports came back that he was not only potentially more energetic and disciplined than widely known, but also that he had a distinct appeal suited to the areas where Obama is weakest: white working-class towns in the Northeast and Midwest.

But Obama was seeking a running mate with whom he would be comfortable governing with for four or eight years, a bit of advice Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts had given him.

"I get the sense that he was quite serious about thinking through about the nature of who his partner will be there and, I think, the role of the vice president as a future partner in government really did matter," said David Wilhelm, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who worked on Biden's 1988 presidential campaign and is close to Obama.

Much of the process unfolded in utter silence as dozens of lawyers completed their tedious assignments for the vice presidential vetting team. Not only had they conducted lengthy sit-down interviews with at least six Democratic prospects, they also demanded thousands of pages of documents, including copies of speeches delivered more than two decades ago.

In addition to the four ultimate finalists, Democratic officials said, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut also were among those who received extensive consideration.