Biden time

Open thread. Joe Biden is Barack Obama’s running mate. Why Biden? And what does he bring to the table? The AP says that Obama sought to balance his ticket with “an older congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues”. Both Obama and Biden are Senators, and neither has held an executive position of any magnitude.

“Biden slowly emerged as Obama’s choice across a long day and night of political suspense as other contenders gradually fell away. … Among those on the short list, Biden brought the most experience in defense or foreign policy — areas in which Obama is rated relatively poorly in the polls compared with Republican Sen. John McCain.”

Here’s an extract from the Wikipedia profile of Joe Biden.

Biden serves on the following committees in the 110th U.S. Congress

* Committee on Foreign Relations (Chairman)
o As Chairman of the full committee Biden is an ex officio member of each subcommittee.
* Committee on the Judiciary
o Subcommittee on Antitrust Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
o Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, (Chairman)
o Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law
o Subcommittee on Immigration Border Security and Citizenship
o Subcommittee on Technology Terrorism and Homeland Security
* Caucus on International Narcotics Control (Co-Chairman)

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