Obama Chooses Biden

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has chosen veteran Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, a leading voice on international affairs, as his vice presidential running mate, his campaign said on Saturday.

Biden, 65, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is one of the most knowledgeable Democrats on foreign policy — an area where Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, has been criticized as inexperienced.

Ending days of speculation, Obama announced the decision on his Web site, featuring a photo of the two, and his campaign sent a text message and e-mail to supporters.

“Barack has chosen Joe Biden to be his running mate,” the announcement said. “Joe Biden brings extensive foreign policy experience, an impressive record of collaborating across party lines, and a direct approach to getting the job done.”

Biden is to travel to Springfield, Illinois, to join Obama for their first campaign event later on Saturday.

Biden, a Roman Catholic originally from the battleground state of Pennsylvania, will bring not only foreign policy expertise to the ticket but strong working-class roots.

That could help Obama connect with the blue-collar voters he has failed to attract in the run-up to the November 4 election against Republican John McCain. Obama and McCain are neck and neck in opinion polls.

Biden’s 2008 presidential bid fell flat but he proved a forceful and aggressive debater, firing off some of the toughest criticisms of Republican President George W. Bush.

The choice of Biden, who was first elected to the Senate in 1972, indicates Obama was more interested in filling gaps in his foreign policy experience than in finding someone who could reinforce his message of bringing change to Washington.

The Delaware senator emerged as a strong possibility late on Friday after three other contenders — Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton — reportedly were told they had not been selected.

Clinton, beaten by Obama narrowly in a bitter struggle for the Democratic nomination, welcomed the selection of Biden, who she described as “an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant.”

“Senator Biden will be a purposeful and dynamic Vice President who will help Senator Obama both win the Presidency and govern this great country,” she said.