It's an Obama-Biden '08 ticket! The bio

Early this morning the Barack Obama campaign announced that Obama had chosen Senator Joe Biden (Delaware) as his vice-presidential (VEEP) nominee. The news was sent out by text messages and email.

The two candidates will begin touring today in Springfield, Illinois, at a 2:00 PM Central Daylight Time.

Biden was born on November 20, 1942, and he joined the Senate in 1973 at the age of 30. He was one of the youngest senators ever elected to the Senate.

Biden brings strong foreign policy expertise. He is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He will be a familiar face to viewers of Sunday morning talk shows, being the second most frequent guest to "Meet the Press," after John McCain

He brings demographic connections that Obama "needs": he is an Irish-Catholic and he has a working class roots. In contrast to McCain's callous abandonment of his wife upon his return from Vietnam, Biden shows that he is a strong family man. Biden commuted daily to Wilmington, Delaware, back from Washington, to tend to his two sons. This was an essential commitment, as his wife and daughter had died in a fatal car accident. His sister and her family moved in, to help Biden's family. In 1977 he married his current wife, Neilia Hunter. They had a daughter together.

Obama's choice demonstrates that Obama has humility and is inclined to forgive and move on, for political expediency. Specifically, this shows forgiveness for Biden's asinine, patronizing comment that Obama is an African-American candidate "who is articulate and bright and clean."

The debut Obama-Biden rally will be broadcast at 2:00 PM, on www.BarackObama.com. Spread the word.

SPEAKING WITH GUTS AND SPINE
Biden is known for pointedly speaking his mind. He aptly assailed Rudy Giuliani's speaking style as consisting of nouns, verbs, glued together by 911.

We would hope that Biden counsels Obama on the need to respond (of course, when appropriate) with aggression to Republican attacks. Theda Skocpol, a Harvard University government and sociology professor, advised Obama to be more aggressive and pointed. Her "Wake Up, Obama Camp" in commondreams.org states the case as to why aggressive responses to McCain et al are important in the campaign for president:

Politics is not just about issues, it is a metaphorical test of strength. If a man will not get immediately -- if quietly -- angry and fight back when his patriotism is attacked, why should we trust him to defend the country? And if he won't punch back by explaining clearly why his approach to foreign policy is actually tougher and smarter, why McCain's is thoughtless and reckless, why would we think he is better to be Commander in Chief?

In her closing paragraph, Skocpol advised, "And pick a FIGHTER for VP, please. Do it yesterday. Obama, you need someone who will push hard at your side and make you better, too." With his choice of Biden, Obama has done that.

Watch Biden's heartwarming story of overcoming his hardships of stuttering and overcoming family tragedy shortly before his 1973 senatorial swearing-in, in an ABC News interview with Charles Gibson.