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Obama chooses Biden

Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2008 U.S. presidential election has tried to balance the ticket by selecting Joseph Biden as his running mate. For all his charisma and oratorical skills, Mr. Obama has not been able to dispel doubts that he is ready to be the commander-in-chief. Mr. Biden, currently Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, adds to the slate vast experience in international and national security affairs. The first African American with a real chance of becoming President has so far not connected with the white working class voters whose support would be vital in battle-ground states. Mr. Biden has Irish Catholic blue-collar roots and the direct-speaking rhetorical style that could appeal to this key constituency. Another shortcoming of Mr. Obama that has shown up is his reluctance to go on the offensive even when warranted. The latest public opinion polls show that the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain has closed the gap and perhaps taken a small lead. Soon after he was picked for the second slot, Mr. Biden showed that he was ready and willing to play the attacker’s role with gusto.

There are no doubt some disadvantages in the Biden selection. The person who has represented Delaware in the Senate for 35 years has a record — as legislator, policy watchdog, and public speaker — that opponents can trawl through and come up with inconsistencies. The Republicans have already run advertisements containing clips from Mr. Biden’s campaign during the Democratic primaries in which he had criticised Mr. Obama and praised Mr. McCain. In the course of his short-lived bid to secure the party nomination, the Delaware Senator also showed that he does not have the ability to draw votes nationally. Mr. Biden’s rhetorical style could also cut the other way. He is also known to be excessively verbose and politically incorrect on occasion. Mr. Obama does not appear to have galvanised the Democratic base, particularly the young, by choosing Mr. Biden as his running mate. There are some signs of disenchantment within this constituency after a near prototype “Beltway politician” was given the second slot on the ticket. The supporters of Hillary Clinton, not fully reconciled to her loss in the primaries, also appear to be disappointed that she was not seriously considered for the position. Mr. Obama will need to win over the doubters during the five-day Democratic Convention that begins on August 25.

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