Biden could help fill in the blanks

WASHINGTON — With the choice of Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden to be his running mate, Sen. Barack Obama shored up what many perceive to be his glaring weaknesses.

Biden is experienced in the ways of Washington, while Obama is relatively new to the capital. Biden is an expert on foreign affairs as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, while Obama is a novice. And Biden comes from working-class roots and boasts an ease in communicating with blue-collar workers that Obama has struggled to find.

To many voters, Biden is likely to be seen as someone who could step in and run the country as president if anything were to happen to Obama, a key criterion for the Democratic nominee.

But for both Obama and Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, the choice of a running mate has taken on a level of significance above and beyond many past elections.

Because Obama is still relatively new to the national stage and because McCain turns 72 Friday and has dealt with bouts of skin cancer, voters are closely watching each man's first major decision of the general election, as a measure of how he would govern.

"I think it's always important and this time, perhaps, it's more important," said Joel Goldstein, a professor at the St. Louis University School of Law and author of "The Modern American Vice Presidency." "Because of Sen. McCain's age and health history, it means succession is more of a concern than it might otherwise be. And then there is Sen. Obama's newness to public life and the concerns some people have [as] to whether he's ready."

Those concerns were exacerbated after Russia invaded Georgia, a democratically elected government and U.S. ally. Although the military clash sparked an international outcry, Obama offered a tepid response compared with McCain's immediate denunciation of Russian aggression.

Biden, on the other hand, as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, quickly traveled to Georgia last weekend to inspect the situation.

Throughout the race, McCain has questioned Obama's judgment and knocked his experience to be the 44th commander-in-chief. The ongoing violence in Georgia and the effort to pressure Russia to withdraw highlighted Obama's tentativeness compared with McCain's certitude.

Public-opinion polls have shown a wide gap between McCain and Obama on the issue, with voters viewing McCain as far better prepared to be commander-in-chief — often by as much as 30 percentage points.

"[Obama's] need is foreign policy," said Doug Schoen, a Democratic strategist. "With international problems swirling around even as Iraq recedes, he's got to get his bona fides on national security in order."

That is exactly what Obama has done in choosing Biden, a 35-year veteran of the Senate with a powerful personal story, a gift for gab and a skill in delivering a political punch.

In many ways, Obama's decision to tap Biden is reminiscent of then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush's choice of Dick Cheney in 2000. Bush chose an eminence gris, an experienced Washington hand, and someone knowledgeable on foreign-policy and military affairs thanks to his work as Defense secretary and White House chief of staff.

Polls also have shown that Obama struggles to connect with white, working class, non-college-educated voters in many key industrial states.

With Biden, Obama has turned to a man born in working-class Scranton, Pa., a place where Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton trounced Obama in the Pennsylvania primary. Biden also is Catholic, an important swing constituency in the general election. And as a resident of Delaware, he shares a media market with Pennsylvania and is well-known to many Pennsylvanians.

On Saturday, Obama embraced Biden's strengths and highlighted his dedication to his family in the aftermath of a tragic car accident that took the lives of his first wife and daughter.

"He's uniquely suited to be my partner as we work to put our country back on track," Obama said emphatically. "He's still that scrappy kid from Scranton who beat the odds."