VP Joe Biden
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SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (CNN) -- Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee
Barack Obama introduced Sen. Joe Biden to the nation as his running mate
Saturday, telling supporters that he is "a leader who is ready to step in and be
president."
"For months, I've searched for a leader to finish this journey alongside me and
join me in making Washington work for the American people. I searched for a
leader who understood the rising costs confronting working people and will
always put their dreams first," Obama said.
"Today, I've come back to Springfield to tell you I've found that leader," he said.
The rally is the pair's first joint appearance since Obama announced that
Biden, the senior U.S. senator from Delaware, would be his running mate on
his Web site and in a text message to supporters early Saturday morning.
VideoWatch Obama introduce his running mate »
Democrats hope that Biden's working-class roots and foreign policy experience
will help Obama, who informed Biden of his decision Thursday.
Thousands of cheering supporters gathered Saturday for the rally in
Springfield, Illinois, where Obama announced his candidacy last year. It will be
their only public appearance together before next week's Democratic
convention in Denver. VideoWatch what Biden would bring to an Obama
presidency »
As he took to the podium at Saturday's rally, Biden invoked the 16th U.S.
president, Abraham Lincoln, who was from Illinois.
"President Lincoln once instructed us to be sure to put your feet in the right
place and then stand firm," said Biden, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Convention kickoff
Join Wolf Blitzer for a kickoff to the convention action. LIVE from the convention
floor in Denver.
Sat & Sun, 8 p.m. ET
see full schedule »
"Today in Springfield, I know my feet are in the right place, and I'm proud to
stand firm with the next president of the United States of America, Barack
Obama."
Obama stressed those roots, introducing 65-year-old Biden as "still that
scrappy kid from Scranton who beat the odds."
He noted hardships in Biden's life, including the deaths of Biden's first wife and
infant daughter in a 1972 car wreck and his struggle to overcome a brain
aneurysm in 1988. iReport.com: iReporters ask if Biden was really the best
choice
"That's the kind of fighter I want by my side in the months and years to come,"
Obama said.
Known for his plain-spoken approach and penchant for speaking from the cuff,
Biden wasted little time taking to the traditional vice presidential candidate's
role of political attack dog.
"John McCain ... served our country with extreme courage, and I know he wants
to do right by America," he said of his Senate colleague and the presumptive
Republican presidential nominee. "But the harsh truth is loud and clear: You
can't change America when you supported George Bush's policies 95 percent
of the time."
He also seized on a McCain comment from this week when he could not
remember how many houses he owns and said McCain was out of touch with
the "kitchen-table" issues that working families face.
"It's a pretty hard experience. He'll have to figure out which of the seven kitchen
tables to sit at," Biden said.
Don't Miss
* iReport.com: Is Biden the right choice?
* Biden has reputation for tart comments
* Obama rules out 3 VP prospects
* Obama: I've decided on my running mate
The McCain campaign quickly pounced Obama for introducing Biden as "the
next president of the United States" before quickly correcting himself to say
"vice president." VideoWatch McCain's new ad targeting Biden »
"Barack Obama sounded as though he turned over the top spot on the ticket
today to his new mentor, when he introduced Joe Biden as the next president,"
McCain spokesman Ben Porritt said. "The reality is that nothing has changed
since Joe Biden first made his assessment that Barack Obama is not ready to
lead. He wasn't ready then and he isn't ready now."
Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, brings decades
of experience that could help counter GOP attacks on Obama's lack of
experience in foreign policy.
Biden abandoned his own White House run after a poor showing in Iowa's
first-in-the-nation caucuses. He also ran for the 1988 Democratic presidential
nomination but dropped out after charges of plagiarism in a stump speech.
Learn more about Biden
Biden is serving out his sixth term, making him Delaware's longest-serving
senator.
He is married and has three children. He received his undergraduate degree
from the University of Delaware and got a law degree from Syracuse.
advertisement
One of Biden's grandfathers was a Pennsylvania state senator, according to
the Almanac of American Politics.
Barack Obama introduced Sen. Joe Biden to the nation as his running mate
Saturday, telling supporters that he is "a leader who is ready to step in and be
president."
"For months, I've searched for a leader to finish this journey alongside me and
join me in making Washington work for the American people. I searched for a
leader who understood the rising costs confronting working people and will
always put their dreams first," Obama said.
"Today, I've come back to Springfield to tell you I've found that leader," he said.
The rally is the pair's first joint appearance since Obama announced that
Biden, the senior U.S. senator from Delaware, would be his running mate on
his Web site and in a text message to supporters early Saturday morning.
VideoWatch Obama introduce his running mate »
Democrats hope that Biden's working-class roots and foreign policy experience
will help Obama, who informed Biden of his decision Thursday.
Thousands of cheering supporters gathered Saturday for the rally in
Springfield, Illinois, where Obama announced his candidacy last year. It will be
their only public appearance together before next week's Democratic
convention in Denver. VideoWatch what Biden would bring to an Obama
presidency »
As he took to the podium at Saturday's rally, Biden invoked the 16th U.S.
president, Abraham Lincoln, who was from Illinois.
"President Lincoln once instructed us to be sure to put your feet in the right
place and then stand firm," said Biden, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Convention kickoff
Join Wolf Blitzer for a kickoff to the convention action. LIVE from the convention
floor in Denver.
Sat & Sun, 8 p.m. ET
see full schedule »
"Today in Springfield, I know my feet are in the right place, and I'm proud to
stand firm with the next president of the United States of America, Barack
Obama."
Obama stressed those roots, introducing 65-year-old Biden as "still that
scrappy kid from Scranton who beat the odds."
He noted hardships in Biden's life, including the deaths of Biden's first wife and
infant daughter in a 1972 car wreck and his struggle to overcome a brain
aneurysm in 1988. iReport.com: iReporters ask if Biden was really the best
choice
"That's the kind of fighter I want by my side in the months and years to come,"
Obama said.
Known for his plain-spoken approach and penchant for speaking from the cuff,
Biden wasted little time taking to the traditional vice presidential candidate's
role of political attack dog.
"John McCain ... served our country with extreme courage, and I know he wants
to do right by America," he said of his Senate colleague and the presumptive
Republican presidential nominee. "But the harsh truth is loud and clear: You
can't change America when you supported George Bush's policies 95 percent
of the time."
He also seized on a McCain comment from this week when he could not
remember how many houses he owns and said McCain was out of touch with
the "kitchen-table" issues that working families face.
"It's a pretty hard experience. He'll have to figure out which of the seven kitchen
tables to sit at," Biden said.
Don't Miss
* iReport.com: Is Biden the right choice?
* Biden has reputation for tart comments
* Obama rules out 3 VP prospects
* Obama: I've decided on my running mate
The McCain campaign quickly pounced Obama for introducing Biden as "the
next president of the United States" before quickly correcting himself to say
"vice president." VideoWatch McCain's new ad targeting Biden »
"Barack Obama sounded as though he turned over the top spot on the ticket
today to his new mentor, when he introduced Joe Biden as the next president,"
McCain spokesman Ben Porritt said. "The reality is that nothing has changed
since Joe Biden first made his assessment that Barack Obama is not ready to
lead. He wasn't ready then and he isn't ready now."
Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, brings decades
of experience that could help counter GOP attacks on Obama's lack of
experience in foreign policy.
Biden abandoned his own White House run after a poor showing in Iowa's
first-in-the-nation caucuses. He also ran for the 1988 Democratic presidential
nomination but dropped out after charges of plagiarism in a stump speech.
Learn more about Biden
Biden is serving out his sixth term, making him Delaware's longest-serving
senator.
He is married and has three children. He received his undergraduate degree
from the University of Delaware and got a law degree from Syracuse.
advertisement
One of Biden's grandfathers was a Pennsylvania state senator, according to
the Almanac of American Politics.
obama the first black president. All rights reserved.
