The Obama-Biden coverage
Posted: Sunday, August 24, 2008 10:49 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Joe Biden
The New York Times notes that Obama wasn’t originally sold on Biden. “Over the course of two months, as the dynamics of the presidential campaign and world events shifted quickly, Mr. Biden’s stock rose through one of the most rigorous vice-presidential vetting processes that Democrats could recall… And it ended Thursday with a phone call from Mr. Obama, who reached Mr. Biden as he was at a dentist’s office where he had taken his wife to have a root canal.”
“Mr. Obama reached the decision about 10 days ago while on a weeklong vacation to Hawaii. That week, Mr. 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 Mr. Obama’s list, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, said Mr. Obama cited the situation in Georgia in breaking the news to Mr. Bayh late last week that he had chosen Mr. Biden. But people involved in the process said it was not just foreign policy that tilted the balance. They said Mr. Obama’s decision had as much to do with Mr. Biden’s appeal among white working-class voters and compelling personal story, and his conclusion that the Delaware senator was ‘a worker.’”
The AP: "Biden was quick to attack. McCain will have to "figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at" when considering his own economic future, Biden said. It was a reference to McCain's recent inartful admission -- in a time of economic uncertainty -- that he was not sure how many homes he owns. … In an interview with CBS News, McCain called Biden a 'wise selection' who will be formidable. But McCain remained critical of the Obama-Biden ticket on foreign policy, citing disagreements with Biden's decision to vote against the first Gulf War as well as his position that Iraq should be divided 'into three different countries.'"
The Boston Globe: "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."
The Globe also profiles Biden. "If Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama intends to ride in and clean up the political culture of Washington, he's chosen a gray eminence, instead of a fresh face, to ride shotgun," the paper writes. "Compared with Obama, who is often characterized as cool and cerebral, Biden is direct and earthy. In May, when President Bush, addressing the Israeli Knesset, suggested that Obama was willing to appease terrorists, Biden offered a raw, profane retort followed by, 'This is malarkey.'"
The New York Daily News: "Bam's new Moe Joe" is written across a full page photo of Obama and Biden on stage in Springfield, Ill.
The New York Post: "JOEBAMA!"
The Detroit Free Press: "Dems have a team." (But notice the story on the right side: "Michigan voters a bit wary of Obama.")
The RNC launched a “Biden Gaffe Clock.”
