Special Report:
U.S. presidential election
2008
Profile: U.S. Senator Joe Biden -- Obama's presidential running mate
Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Biden (L) (D-DE) greets supporters and the press after speaking at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting in Washington, Feb 3, 2007.(Chinese media/Reuters FilePhoto)
Photo Gallery
by Wang Wei
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (Chinese media) -- U.S. Democratic
presidential candidate Barack Obama's selection of Senator Joe Biden as his
running mate would shore up his inexperience in foreign policy and defense, but
synchronously carry risks of undermining his image as an agent of change.
In a move aimed at balancing his ticket with a
congressional veteran well-versed in foreign and defense issues, areas labeled
as weak by his Republican opponents, Obama is expecting the 65-year-old six-term
Senator to invest his decades of experience in handling national security and
global politics into the presidential campaign.
According to U.S. media statistics, Biden was widely considered as a veteran of credentials in foreign policy and security as he has traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan twice, respectively, as well as eight times to Iraq, three central battlegrounds of the U.S. anti-terror war.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) (L) and Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) talk before the AFL-CIO Presidential Forum at Soldier Field in Chicago in this Aug. 7, 2007 file photo. (Chinese media/Reuters, FilePhoto)
Photo Gallery
Serving in the Capitol Hill as long as Republican
presidential candidate John McCain, Biden was considered a "weapon" as a
Washington insider to defend Obama from being attacked by the rival.
"He knows McCain better than anyone else. He
intimidates McCain more than anyone else," said Biden's aid Celinda Lake. "He
can call McCain out better than anyone else on some of his position."
In addition, coming from a Catholic family with
blue-collar roots, he could help Obama win more voters sharing the same
background, a weak area for Obama.
His personal compelling story that his ex-wife and
baby daughter died in a car accident when he was just sworn to the Senate and
spent the following five years to take care of the other two sons alone will
also lend a hand to help Obama woo more senior and women voters.
Political analysts said Biden, as a liberal Democrat,
was popular and influential among the party fellows, and has also reached many
bipartisan deals, leaving him very few political enemies.
Technically, Biden is capable of campaigning,
debating and delivering speech since he has been tested by six successful
congressional elections and twice failed presidential primaries.
"He would bring to any administration a tremendous
credibility and talent," said Richard Holbrooke, a former U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations, to the Politico website. "He knows the world leaders, he knows
the Congress, he knows the issues and he passes the first test."
However, Obama's choice also carried some risks.
Biden's experience in foreign policies and national
security is a two-blade sword that can invite more doubts on Obama's capability
in the areas. It is undeniable that the November elections would be centered on
presidential candidates not their running mates.
Biden's 30 years of immersion in Washington can be
taken to undercut Obama's image as an agent of change, who has vowed to abandon
old politics practiced in the Capitol Hill and the White House for years,
analysts say.
According to a report by News Week, Biden was known
as a person who did not always think before talk and was sometimes obsessed by
his own talks, leaving it in doubt whether he can work under Obama's arms.
It is foreseeable that the newly-named vice
presidential candidate would face questions about his vote for the launching of
the Iraq War at the first place that Obama has been always opposed, and his
strong criticism on Obama during the Democratic primary earlier this year.
Before he is officially announced as Obama's running
mate on Aug. 28, the last night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver,
Colorado, Biden has to face the first test later Saturday when he, for the first
time, stands side by side with Obama in a debut campaign rally.
Obama has decided on his running mate
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (Chinese media) -- The countdown has started for the long-guessed U.S. Democratic vice presidential candidate to show up after the party's White House hopeful Barack Obama announced Thursday that he had decided on his running mate. Full Story
Obama outnumbers McCain in campaign expense in July
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (Chinese media) -- Reports released on Thursday showed that U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spent 55 million U.S. dollars for his campaign in July, compared to the 32 million dollars his Republican rival John McCain invested. Full Story
Obama's lead over McCain declines
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Chinese media) -- U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's lead over his Republican rival, John McCain, has declined by half, according to a poll released on Wednesday. Full Story
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment