WORLD: Obama picks running mate

BARACK OBAMA has picked Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as his US vice presidential running mate, a Democratic party official said.

Mr Biden, 65, is a veteran of more than three decades in the Senate, and one of his party's leading experts on foreign policy, an area in which polls indicate Mr Obama needs help in his race against Republican rival John McCain.

The Democrat official spoke anonymously, saying they did not want to pre-empt a text-message announcement the Obama campaign promised.

In choosing Mr Biden, Mr Obama has balanced his ticket with an older congressional veteran well-versed in foreign and defence issues.

Mr Biden, who has twice sought the White House, is a Catholic with a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a long-winded orator.

In the Senate, he has served not only as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, but also as head of the Judiciary Committee, with its jurisdiction over anti-crime legislation and constitutional issues.

Mr Obama's campaign has arranged a debut for his successor outside the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday.

The Democratic National Convention meets next week in Denver, Colorado, to hand Mr Obama his long-sought presidential nomination, and then confirm Mr Biden.

Mr Biden slowly emerged as Mr Obama's choice across a long day and night of political suspense as other contenders gradually fell away.

First, Virginia governor Tim Kaine let it be known that he had been ruled out. Then came word that Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana had also been passed over.


pa.press.net