Senator Barack Obama has chosen Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware to be his running mate, turning to a leading authority on foreign policy and a longtime Washington hand to fill out the Democratic ticket, Mr. Obama announced in text and e-mail messages early Saturday.Mr. Obama's selection ended a two-month search that was conducted almost entirely in secret. It reflected a critical strategic choice by Mr. Obama: To go with a running mate who could reassure voters about gaps in his resume, rather than to pick someone who could deliver a state or reinforce Mr. Obama's message of change.
Mr. Biden is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is familiar with foreign leaders and diplomats around the world. Although he initially voted to authorize the war in Iraq — Mr. Obama opposed it from the start — Mr. Biden became a persistent critic of President George W. Bush's policies in Iraq.
The brief text message from the Obama campaign came at 3:00 a.m., less than three hours after word of the decision began leaking out. "Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee. Watch the first Obama-Biden rally live at 3pm ET on www.BarackObama.com. Spread the word!"
I'll have plenty of commentary and analysis in a bit, but I thought I'd get the thread going. Pleased with the pick? Relieved it's not Bayh? Does Biden improve Obama's chances in November?
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Gen. Ray Odierno, head of multinational forces in Iraq, on progress there and plans for Afghanistan.
