Obama Focuses on Biden as Potential VP

By Pamela Mortimer

Delaware Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is scheduled to return to Capitol Hill Monday after a last minute trip to war torn Georgia. Political analysts expect that Biden will be chosen as Barack Obama’s running mate upon his return.

Biden, who has spent almost four decades on the Hill, has long been considered as Obama’s top choice as the future VP. Some speculate that Biden would offer the Illinois Senator the best chance at winning the upcoming presidential election, due in part to Biden’s extensive experience and knowledge on foreign policy. Currently, Biden is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a position which has garnered him a great deal of visibility and respect throughout the world.

Although the upcoming Democratic convention ensures that Obama’s decision will be made this week, Biden insists that the trip to Georgia was in no way related to the campaign.

"I am going to Georgia this weekend to get the facts first-hand and to show my support for Georgia’s people and its democratically-elected government," he said in a statement. "I look forward to reporting to my colleagues in the Senate and on the Foreign Relations Committee, as well as the Administration, about what I learn."

According to The New York Times, "Mr. Biden’s strengths and weaknesses as a vice-presidential nominee are glaringly obvious and in many cases overlap. At age 65, he would bring heft, knowledge and nearly four decades of experience in Washington to a ticket headed by a relative political newcomer. But that experience -- he was first elected to the Senate at age 29 and has served for nearly four decades -- would undercut Mr. Obama’s image as an agent of change."

"Mr. Biden is among the best-informed lawmakers on international affairs, a gap in Mr. Obama’s résumé. But Mr. Biden’s broad knowledge, his committee chairmanship and his longtime membership in the most exclusive debating club in the nation also feed his biggest flaw: a verbosity and love of his own voice that drive many, including, by some accounts, Mr. Obama, nuts."

Despite the varied opinions of political analysts, Biden seems to have a rather large fan base.

"He would bring to any administration a tremendous credibility and talent," said Richard C. Holbrooke, a former United Nations Ambassador. "He knows the world leaders, he knows the Congress, he knows the issues and he passes the first test — he’s qualified to be president. In the end, it’s just a question of personal chemistry and the choice of the nominee."