Editorial: Obama's Pick for Vice President

Democrat Barack Obama's selection of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware to be his running mate puts pressure on John McCain to choose an equally strong running mate for the Republican ticket.

Biden brings valuable foreign-policy experience as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Obama said he wanted a vice president who could help him to navigate dangerous international waters; Biden has a firm grasp of foreign affairs and national defense.

A senator for almost 36 years, Biden also understands how Washington works. He's an effective lawmaker and, for years, has been a prominent voice in evaluating Supreme Court nominees. The choice of Biden blunts the criticism that Obama lacks Washington experience.

On the electoral map, Biden could help Obama in Pennsylvania, where his family roots go back at least five generations. Biden was born in Scranton and lived there until age 10, when his family moved to Delaware. Obama said he wanted a running mate who would speak his mind and question his decisions; Biden fits the bill. He said famously in a primary debate that Obama wasn't ready to be president. Obama certainly hasn't chosen a yes-man.

The two didn't see eye to eye initially on the Iraq war, either. Obama opposed the invasion while Biden voted to authorize war. Since then, Biden has become an outspoken critic of the war and a leader in the Senate in trying to find workable solutions to the conflict.

There are potential pitfalls with Biden. He has been called a "gaffe machine." On the day he announced his presidential bid in 2007, he ended up apologizing for describing Obama as "the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."

In 2006, Biden commented on the burgeoning Indian American population in Delaware by saying, "You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent." The senator's mouth can be his own worst enemy. Even Democrats who admire him must be wondering how long it will take Biden to commit another verbal blunder.

His 1988 presidential bid ended after it was revealed Biden had plagiarized passages of a speech. But these missteps do not overshadow Biden's lifetime of meaningful public service. It became clear during the innumerable Democratic debates that Biden was one of the most seasoned, reasonable grown-ups on the stage.

When he dropped out of the presidential race this year, Biden told an interviewer that he wasn't interested in the vice presidency. Probably few ambitious people are.

But at age 65, Biden perhaps also realizes that this is now his best chance to make a difference. Obama has done well in recognizing that Biden is an asset to the ticket.