Dream Team? Obama Backs Biden to Help Open Up Gap in Deadlocked Race

Barack Obama has set off on a new and more combative phase of the battle for the White House, reinforced by his chosen running mate, Senator Joe Biden, and the Democratic party's show of strength at their nominating convention.

The twin events of Biden's selection as the vice-presidential candidate and the opening tomorrow of the convention in Denver have also galvanized Obama's Republican presidential opponent, John McCain.

The McCain camp broadcast two new "attack" ads on television, using old footage of Biden as well as Hillary Clinton saying that Obama was not ready for the White House.

The adverts, and two new opinion polls confirming the closeness of the race for the White House, raised the pressure on Obama to make this week's Democratic convention a resounding success. Early indications were that the choice of Biden was a good starting point for Obama as he tries to break a virtual deadlock in the polls with McCain.

Recent surveys have suggested that McCain is consolidating his support among Republicans, eroding earlier leads by Obama. That trend seemed to be holding in yesterday's polling. In a Washington Post ABC news poll, Obama was just hanging on to his slight edge over McCain from last month, with 49% support against 45% for the Republican. The two men were also extremely close in Colorado, despite Democratic hopes that the choice of Denver to host the convention would help the party to capture the state in November. A poll by Quinnipiac University put McCain at 47% and Obama at 46%.

The tightness of the race increases the pressure on Obama to unite the party around him at this convention and make an acceptance speech on Thursday night that will resonate with voters.

In an attempt to strengthen his connection with heartland voters, Obama today set off on a tour of midwestern states and Montana en route to Denver.

Democratic strategists, meanwhile, said they would step up their attacks on McCain for being out of touch with regular Americans. They plan to begin making an issue of McCain's refusal to use a computer, and hoping to build on his gaffe in forgetting how many houses he owns to make the case that he is out of touch with ordinary Americans.

The Obama campaign is also looking to Biden to help make that case - in addition to using Biden's 35 years in the US Senate to allay voters' doubts about Obama's readiness to be in the White House.

Biden, 65, is known as a scrappy campaigner in addition to his authority on foreign affairs. He used his first appearance with Obama in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday to launch right into McCain - even though the two men have been friends for 30 years.

Biden said he was disappointed in the negative tenor of McCain's campaign, accusing him of giving in to the Republican right.

Reaction to the choice of Biden as vice-presidential candidate was largely positive from Democrats as well as Republicans. "He's the full package," said Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, yesterday. Chuck Hagel, the Republican senator from Nebraska, said in a statement: "An Obama-Biden ticket is a very impressive and strong team."

Even McCain conceded that Biden brought gravitas to the Democratic ticket. "I think he's a good selection," McCain told CBS. "I know that Joe will campaign well for Senator Obama, and so I think he's going to be very formidable."

However, Biden's foreign policy expertise and campaign flair may not go far enough to overcoming voters' doubts about Obama's judgment and experience. The Washington Post ABC news poll gave McCain a two to one lead over Obama in knowledgeability in world affairs. Three-quarters of those polled said the addition of Biden to the Democratic ticket would make no difference to their vote.

The Republicans were trying to turn Biden's selection from an asset into a drag on Obama's candidacy. A new TV ad using footage from a Democratic primary debate showed Biden praising McCain and saying the White House was not a place for on-the-job training.

There was an even more provocative ad attempting to anger Clinton's supporters over the fact that she was never seriously considered as a running mate. "She won millions of votes, but isn't on the ticket. Why? For speaking the truth," the Republican ad said. Some Clinton delegates to the Democratic convention admit they may vote for McCain in November.