Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, announced this weekend that he has chosen Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his vice president nominee. Biden, a veteran of the Senate first elected in 1972, is a smart choice for Obama.
One of Obama’s biggest weaknesses has been the belief that he lacks experience when it comes to dealing with foreign affairs; political commentators continue to say that voters are still concerned with this perceived weakness. To address this perception Obama could not have chosen a better running mate.
Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has been a leading foreign policy expert for years. Just over a week ago Biden visited Georgia to help gather information on the Georgia-Russia conflict of recent weeks.
Biden can also relate to the economic hardships that many people, including students, face these days. As opposed to Obama, who has made millions off of his books and John McCain who owns upward of seven homes, Biden actually has a negative net worth. In 2006, he was listed as being worth just above -$300,000. Thus, when Biden talks about the economic hardships facing this country, it won’t be as a millionaire observing the plight of poor Americans, but rather as one of those Americans.
Obama’s choice of Biden is one that reflects the needs of the Obama campaign, and we can only wait to see if McCain’s vice presidential pick is as wise a choice as Obama’s.