Why did Obama choose Biden as his vice presidential candidate？

Topic: 2008 US Presidential Election

　　Biden stands out from the "Obama conjecture"

　　In the early morning of August 23rd, US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama made a brief statement on his campaign website, confirming that Biden, 66, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would be his partner in the presidential election in November. Obama officially announced his running mate to voters at a rally in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois on the afternoon of the 23rd. A statement on Obama’s campaign website said: "Biden brings a lot of foreign policy experience, an admirable record of cross-party camp cooperation, and a direct business model." A few hours before his statement, many American media reported that Biden would be the vice presidential candidate.

　　Due to Obama’s delay in announcing his running mate, American media and public opinion have speculated "who is Obama’s deputy", which the media dubbed "Obama conjecture". Although some surveys show that Mrs. Clinton Hillary Clinton is still the best deputy candidate in the eyes of Democratic Party representatives, some people hope that Obama will choose Kansas female governor sibelius as a deputy to win female voters; However, The New York Times revealed that only three people were seriously considered by Obama in the final stage, namely Delaware Senator Biden, Indiana Senator Behe and Virginia Governor Cain. Obama advisers have revealed that as of last week, Obama has not made a decision.

　　Today, Biden finally stands out from the "Obama conjecture." The National Congress of the Democratic Party of the United States was held in Denver, Colorado on the 25th, and a single nominee for the presidency and vice president was formally elected. Obama announced the news just in time for the party convention. In an interview with USA Today on 24th, Obama revealed that he had chosen an independent running mate who could challenge him in the White House. Obama also said that he chose someone who can help him revive the American economy and is ready to act as president at any time. Obama praised Biden as a man with outstanding political achievements and good character. In his subsequent speech, Biden praised Obama and said that although he is a friend of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, only Obama can change American leadership.

　　Who is Biden?

　　Biden was born in November 1942 to an Irish Roman Catholic family in Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965 and graduated from the Law School of Syracuse University with a law degree in 1968. Biden once worked as a lawyer and later went into politics. Biden was elected to the Delaware Senate for the first time at the age of 29 in 1972. He has served as a senator for six terms and has more than 30 years of experience in discussing politics. He is currently the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is highly respected in the field of foreign policy. He visited China twice in 1979 and 2001.

　　Biden is the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of the most influential figures in the Democratic Party’s internal foreign policy. His expertise may help to counter Republican claims that Obama lacks diplomatic experience. Biden has been openly criticizing the Bush administration’s foreign policy, including its practice in the war on terror. Although he voted for the US-led war in Iraq in 2002, he later became a critic of this conflict. Obama opposed sending troops to Iraq from the beginning. Biden said: "I believe that the Bush administration’s basic approach to foreign policy and national security issues cannot stand the test of reality;" The simplistic slogans that blindly emphasize preemptive strike, change the government and focus on the war on terrorism, all of which, in my opinion, make our country’s situation more insecure, not safer. "

　　Earlier this year, Biden told the media that President Bush’s foreign policy decision will leave the next president with a lot of troubles. He said: "The next president, whether Democrat or Republican, must face a series of severe challenges, and there will not be much room for manoeuvre. Of course, I hope the next president is a Democrat. " Biden himself will soon be associated with the American war against Iraq, because his eldest son is a captain of the Delaware National Guard and will be sent to Iraq in October this year.

　　Biden also ran for president in 1988, but soon announced his withdrawal. One reason was that he was accused of whoring and stealing the speech of British Labor Party leader Kinnock. Biden worked with Obama and Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary? Clinton competed for the presidential nomination, but eventually abandoned the election because she didn’t get enough support. He also participated in the US presidential race in 1988, but announced his withdrawal because he was exposed to plagiarizing the speech of the then British Labor Party leader Kinnock.

　　Biden will help Obama.

　　Biden has always been known for being outspoken. Biden did not perform well in the party primaries held in Iowa this year, so he decided to withdraw from the election. Before announcing his withdrawal, Biden said he didn’t think Obama was ready to enter the White House. He said that the presidency cannot be "learned by doing". In addition, Biden described Obama as "the first African-American in mainstream society who is eloquent, smart, clean and good-looking" in an interview with the media. He later apologized for these speeches, saying that his original intention was to praise Obama. Obama said that he didn’t take Biden’s words too seriously, but said that those words describing him were extremely inaccurate, because African-Americans such as Jackson and sharpton had run for president in the past.

　　Some political analysts pointed out that Biden’s outspoken is a favorable factor for Obama’s campaign. They predicted that Biden would not hesitate to challenge Republican presidential candidate John McCain on various issues. Some Democrats think that Obama is not tough enough on McCain. Biden has been to many places, including many visits to Iraq. He recently visited Georgia at the invitation of the President. Some experts believe that this visit has increased his chances of being nominated as Obama’s running mate.

　　Biden is a highly respected foreign policy expert. And foreign policy is a part of Obama’s campaign that has been criticized for his inexperience. Obama’s appointment of Biden as his campaign deputy will help to counter Republican claims that Obama does not have enough diplomatic experience to lead the United States. Biden, 65, is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and has served as a federal senator for more than 35 years. Obama praised Biden’s extensive experience in foreign policy, cross-party cooperation and straightforward handling of affairs. Obama and Biden are expected to campaign in several cities on Sunday.

　　However, some commentators believe that Biden is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, which can make up for Obama’s lack of diplomatic experience. However, his image as a "Washington insider" is deeply rooted and runs counter to Obama’s message of "change". Now Obama’s choice of a political veteran as his running mate will weaken the legitimacy of his emphasis on change. For Obama’s nomination of Biden as his deputy, his Republican opponent, the McCain camp, immediately responded that this means that Obama himself admits that he is not ready to serve as president. The McCain camp said that Biden had severely accused Obama of inexperience and poor foreign policy judgment. Now Obama picked him as a partner, which is equivalent to admitting that he is not ready to serve as president.

Editor: Wang Wenying