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FOURNIER IS AT IT AGAIN.... The latest piece from Ron Fournier, the AP's Washington bureau chief and the man responsible for directing the wire service's coverage of the presidential campaign, on Joe Biden joining the Democratic ticket, is drawing a fair amount of attention this morning.
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Analysis: Biden pick shows lack of confidence — Featured Topics: - John McCain - Barack Obama — DENVER - The candidate of change went with the status quo. — In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness — inexperience in office …
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Obama Chooses Biden as Running Mate — WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama has chosen Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware to be his running-mate, turning to a leading authority on foreign policy and a longtime Washington hand to fill out the Democratic ticket, people told of the decision said.
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HAPPINESS IS A THING CALLED JOE — Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running mate is underwhelming for many reasons, but it affords an opportunity to review a few of the moments that might have provided all the embarrassment a normal man would have needed to escape from public life.


Looks Like The Obama Campaign Laid An Egg — By way of the Ace we see this image hosted at the Obama website (I am not the most computer-savvy guy going, but I am satisfied this is no spoof.) — Coupled as it is with the Biden announcement, I can only infer that the Obamaites think they laid an egg (no dissent here).

Pick Up — How Biden strengthens Obama. — I have long been on record in support of Hillary Clinton for v.p., but it is clear that was never in the offing. Clinton aside, Joe Biden was the best possible pick for Senator Obama. Here's why: — RELATED CONTENT — Slideshow: Joe Biden's Career

New Data: Impact of Biden — Barack Obama's choice of Joe Biden as his running mate is unlikely to shake-up the presidential horse race. In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll completed last night, three-quarters of voters said picking Biden would not sway their votes one way or the other.
Discussion:
Kevin Drum


The ticket: Obama-Biden — Barack Obama has ended an intense and highly secretive search for a vice-presidential nominee by settling on Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware—a choice calculated to offset some of the weaknesses in Obama's own resume and produce a ticket that marries messages of change and experience.
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Associated Press, MSNBC, Yahoo! News, Time, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Right Wing Nut House and Off the Kuff

New McCain Ad Hits Biden, Airs Footage Of Him Saying He'd Run With McCain — The McCain campaign is already out with a tough new spot hitting Joe Biden, Obama's new running mate, and airing quotes from the primary where Biden questioned Obama's readiness to lead:

Biden Viewed Favorably by 43%, Seen as Politically Liberal by 41%
Discussion:
The New Republic

Why 3 a.m.? — Less than two weeks ago, Obama campaign manager …

Obama Taps Biden: A Conventional But Perhaps Effective Pick
Discussion:
Weekly Standard Blog

Epic Text Message Fail? Media Gets Biden News Hours Before Supporters
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National Review, Tom Watson, The Caucus, Washington Wire, Political Radar, Moue Magazine, Pajamas Media and Jonathan Martin's Blogs

Obama Picks Biden as V.P.
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Obama taps Biden to be running mate
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Yahoo! News, Hot Air, American Prospect, Richard G. Lugar …, MyDD, Bridget Johnson, Outside The Beltway, Cogitamus and JammieWearingFool


RACISM IS THE ONLY REASON MCCAIN MIGHT BEAT HIM. — What with the Bush legacy of reckless war and economic mismanagement, 2008 is a year that favors the generic Democratic candidate over the generic Republican one. Yet Barack Obama, with every natural and structural advantage in the presidential race …
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MSNBC guest: Biden's racial gaffes are rather refreshingly politically incorrect, aren't they? — Golly, maybe this has been McCain's problem all along. When the dumbest hacks in the lefty blogosphere attacked him for coded messages in the Britney ad, I thought they were objecting to the alleged message.
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org

Did Obama Just Lose The Election? — It's lost in the Veep hype for now. Down the stretch that won't be the case. After he is softened up and a growing number of Americans are given reasons for concern over Obama's Leftism - there's this and some pertinent facts on China below.
Discussion:
Stop The ACLU

McCain Goes There — John McCain largely has avoided hot button social issues to the consternation of some in the conservative base. He has ignored the brewing controversy over Barack Obama's Born Alive Infants legislative voting record and he hasn't made much comment on the highly successful (for him) Rick Warren forum.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard Blog

No Terrorism Ties Here — Move Along — WNBC News in New York City reports that the NYPD, working with Suffolk Country police and the FBI, have concluded there are no terrorism ties to be concerned about in connection with their discovery that a man, described only as an Egyptian engineer …
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Biden — The clip above explains the rationale, I'd say. The biggest emerging problem with the Obama campaign is Obama's reluctance, lack of talent and lack of will to get into lively, feisty, pissing matches with his opponent. This was brought home in the Saddleback forum.
Discussion:
New York Times, MyDD, The Moderate Voice, TPM Election Central, Balloon Juice and Angry Bear


Biden known as a blunt inquisitor — WASHINGTON — Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.'s best game is foreign affairs, an arena he cherishes. — Ask about the former Soviet Union, Bosnia, Middle East or almost any part of the globe, and he knows the history and the players. He's visited Iraq more than seven times.