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Democratic Convention Preview; Biden Profile

Aired August 23, 2008 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting. CNN NEWSROOM continues with special coverage right now.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: That's the ticket for the Democrats, and we're going to be talking all about it. I'm Brianna Keilar and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The Democratic ticket is off and running for the White House. You saw it right here on CNN. Barack Obama unveiling Joe Biden as his running mate. The two appearing together in Springfield, Illinois. Obama saluted his VP choice as a statesman with working class instincts and a leader ready at a moment's notice to assume the role of president. Here's Obama introducing his running mate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We started this journey with a simple belief. The American people were better than their government in Washington. A government that has fallen prey to special interests and policies that have left working people behind.

As I've traveled to towns and cities, farms and factories, front porches and fair grounds, in almost all 50 states, that belief has been strengthened. Because at this defining moment in our history, with our nation at war, our economy in recession, we know that the American people cannot afford four more years of the same failed policies and the same old politics in Washington. We know that the time for change has come.

For months, I've searched for a leader to finish this journey alongside me. And to join me in making Washington work for the American people. I search for a leader who understands the rising costs confronting working people. And we'll always put their dreams first. A leader who sees clearly the challenges facing America in a changing world. With our security and standing set back by eight years of a failed foreign policy. A leader who shares my vision of an open government that calls all citizens, Democrats, Republicans and independents to a common purpose.

Above all, I searched for a leader who is ready to step in and be president. Today, I have come back to Springfield to tell you that I found that leader. A man with a distinguished record. A man with fundamental decency. And that man is Joe Biden.

...Sloboban Milosevic in the eye and called him a war criminal and then helped shape policies that would end the killing in the Balkans and bring Milosevic to justice. Joe Biden passed laws to lock down chemical weapons and let the push to bring Europe's newest Democracies into NATO. Over the last eight years, he has been a powerful critic of the catastrophic Bush-McCain foreign policy and a voice, a voice for a new direction that takes the fight to the terrorists and ends the war in Iraq responsibly.

He recently went to Georgia where he met quietly with the president and came back with a call for aid and a tough message for Russia. Joe Biden is what so many others pretend to be, a statesman with sound judgment who doesn't have to hide behind bluster to keep America strong. So Joe Biden won't just make a good vice president, he will make a great vice president.

After decades, after decades of steady work across the aisle, I know he'll be able to help me turn the page on the ugly partisanship in Washington. So we can bring Democrats and Republicans together to pass an agenda that works for the American people. And instead of secret energy task forces attacking big oil and a vice president that twists the facts and shuts the American people out, I know that Joe Biden will give us some real straight talk.

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And ladies and gentlemen, these are no ordinary times. And this is no ordinary election. Because the truth of the matter is, and know it, that American dream under four, eight years of Bush and McCain, that American dream is slipping away. I don't have to tell you that. You feel it in your lives. You see in your shrinking wages and the cost of everything from groceries to health care, to college, to filling up your car at the gas station. It keeps going up and up and up. And the future keeps receding further and further and further away, as you reach for your dreams.

You know, ladies and gentlemen, it is not a mere political saying. I say with every fiber of my being I believe we cannot, as a nation, stand four more years of this. We cannot afford to keep giving tax cuts after tax cuts to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans while the middle class America, middle class families are falling behind and their wages are actually shrinking. We can't afford four more years of a government that does nothing while they watch the housing market collapse.

As you know, it's not just the millions of people facing foreclosure, it's the tens of millions of your neighbors who are seeing the values of their homes drop off a cliff along with their dreams. Ladies and gentlemen, your kitchen table is like mine, you sit there at night before you put the kids - after you put the kids to bed and you talk. You talk about what you need. You talk about how much you're worried about being able to pay the bills. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's not a worry John McCain has to worry about. It's a pretty hard experience. He'll have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at.

Folks, again, it's not political sloganeering when I say, we literally can't afford four more years of non-energy policy written by and for the oil companies, making us more and more dependent from hostile nations on our ability to run this country and literally, not figuratively, literally putting America's security at risk. We can't afford four more years of a foreign policy that has shredded our alliances and sacrificed our moral standing around the world.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's the bad news. But there is good news, America. We don't have to have four more years of George W. Bush and John McCain. The next president of the United States is going to be delivered to the most significant moment in American history since Franklin Roosevelt. He will have such an incredible opportunity, incredible opportunity, not only to change the direction of America, but literally, literally to change the direction of the world.

Barack Obama and I believe, we believe with every fiber of our being that our families, our communities, as Americans, there's not a single solitary challenge we cannot face if we level with the American people.

KEILAR: Those are the words of Joe Biden appearing today with Barack Obama in Springfield, Illinois. Let's go now to the scene of that event. CNN's Candy Crowley joining us. Candy, what really stuck out in your mind being there listening to those speeches?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The working class, the working class, the working class. They really want to stress that. We learned that he grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, very important swing state. But it is the imagery that this is a man who understands the toll a bad economy can take on a family. This is a man who perhaps, at least the Obama campaign is hoping, can take some of that elite discussion about Barack Obama away who can go into the rural areas, who can go into working class neighborhoods and cities and say, I can vouch for this man. This is the son of a single woman who had to go on food stamps sometimes to support him and to support herself.

So they're trying to mesh Joe Biden's background with Barack Obama's background to appeal basically to the Hillary Clinton voters, those white rural voters who are very, very slowly coming to Barack Obama's campaign and not in great numbers. So they are hoping that Joe Biden can be helpful to Obama in Pennsylvania, in Ohio, in West Virginia where there are large numbers of working class voters. So, that stuck out to me. Also, the other thing, of course, that happened is that this is about being number two. And being number two is about being the attack dog. And certainly Joe Biden began to play that role here today, Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, speaking of which, he said McCain, who he admitted even in his speech is a friend of his, but he said, that aside, four years of McCain is equivalent to just extending George Bush's terms. It seems like he is pursuing that role of being an attack dog. Do you think he'll be able to do it effectively?

CROWLEY: Yes. He is a very good campaigner. He is an energetic campaigner. I don't know if you saw him run up the sort of catwalk behind me as Barack Obama endorsed him - I'm sorry. Introduced him. We also saw the speech that he gave, very energized. And Barack Obama is a tough politician, and he can draw that line or is going to try to draw that line between, yes, we think he's a great guy and he's a great soldier, but Barack Obama has judgment. So he is already right on the talking points that a vice president needs to be. First of all, the core of the Barack Obama campaign is that John McCain is George Bush, and you heard that today from Joe Biden. So he already knows the center of this campaign. And you also heard him go after John McCain saying, you know, when we all sit around our dining room tables, we know what the problems are. Well, John McCain has to sit around seven kitchen tables. So, already going after him. He will have no problem doing that.

One of the interesting things about Joe Biden is he does this kind of slicing and dicing of his opponents with a smile on his face so it takes the sting out of it, but the words are very, very sharp. And they were here today. And I don't know if you noticed but we didn't hear the name John McCain out of Barack Obama at all. That was left to Joe Biden. That's his role.

KEILAR: Yes. The happy warrior. We've heard some people call him. And Joe Biden has a very interesting personal story on many levels. Which parts of his personal story could help Obama on the campaign trail?

CROWLEY: Well, I think it is his sort of hard growing up. They were not a family of means. By the way, Joe Biden is the poorest member of the U.S. Senate according to the filings that they have to do in the U.S. Senate. My producer looked it up. As of 2006, Joe Biden's net worth was minus $300,000. So he retains that rapport with working class voters. He also is sort of just Joe when he goes out and campaigns. People immediately relate to him. I've been in living rooms with him throughout Iowa and in New Hampshire. People just naturally connect to him because he talks, as he said today in reference today, it's just sort of plain talk.

So that sort of reaches into the working class, it's his roots. He also has a story of tragedy and triumph. You heard Barack Obama say, this is a man who was elected at the age of 29 and before he was sworn in he lost both his wife and his infant daughter in a car crash. So there is a storyline there that they think makes Joe Biden as someone who can appeal to those very important votes that Barack Obama is having trouble gathering. Brianna.

KEILAR: Thanks, candy. Candy Crowley for us in Springfield, Illinois. Let's take it on now to Denver where the Democratic convention starts today. Joining us live from there, CNN contributor Robert Zimmerman. He is a Democratic superdelegate from New York, and on the right there, Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez, who is also a CNN contributor and XM Radio's Rebecca Roberts, host of "1600," a show about the campaign. She is our neutral voice, if you will, today.

I just want to get a sense from all of you, what was your gut reaction and Robert, let's start with you, your gut reaction of Joe Biden being the pick for number two and just of the speeches in Springfield.

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC SUPERDELEGATE: It was clearly, it was an excellent choice. I think we saw today a perfect example of why it was such a great choice. Because Joe Biden can not only bring experience, and also brings another dimension to the Obama campaign. It shows how strong Senator Obama is as a presidential candidate. Unlike President Bush, he's not afraid to have around him people of different experiences, that can add to the message, add to policy decisions and bring different perspectives. But more than that, together on the campaign stump, they have a message to working class Americans that is so important. They have a message on life story that every working class American can really relate to.

So today was really the beginning of the presidential campaign for the Democratic party. And the two of them as a ticket truly were inspiring to have a message that is really going to make a big difference to show how Democrats differ from Republicans in reaching out to working class America.

KEILAR: But Leslie, I know you don't see it that way, you feel and we've heard you say that you basically think Obama has turned around, gone against what he's been preaching, and picked a Washington insider.

LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well look at the argument that was made against Hillary Clinton. I mean, for the last several months people were saying that the dowry wasn't big enough to accept Hillary and Bill Clinton because you had to take them both as a pair. They represented the status quo, even though she had 18 million supporters, it really wasn't going to be enough because of her negative. She was the old Democratic party, the old movement. And Barack Obama is the new Democrat. So what do you do? You pick the one candidate older than all of them in terms of experience and longevity in Washington on the Republican and Democratic side. It doesn't make a lot of sense.

ZIMMERMAN: I'm very touched Leslie by your sensitivity to Hillary Clinton. I know -

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Leslie, let me ask you this - you said he's a Washington insider. But one of the things we hear the Obama campaign pushing, if you would respond to this, is this a man who went home every night to his home in Delaware. He wasn't on the, as they put it, the Washington cocktail circuit. I mean, how do you respond to what they're pushing there?

SANCHEZ: You know, it's a very fair argument, but it's not an accurate one. The truth is, he's somebody that went in as a 29 year old. He was 30 years old when he was finally sworn in. He ran as an anti-war candidate. He has been on the federal dole his entire professional career. He no more connects with business owners or people trying to make a payroll than the man on the moon. He really can talk the talk. And that's one thing we all know for sure is Joe Biden can talk endlessly. That's why he basically makes so many gaffes and relies on other people's words as well.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Robert, Leslie, let's bring Rebecca in and see, what do you think, Rebecca? What did you take away from these speeches? What really stuck with you? REBECCA ROBERTS, XM RADIO'S "POTUS '08": I think there's something useful about Joe Biden. Yes, he does have the Washington insider label, but he's enormously well respected. I mean, if you remember the one ad he did run during the primary was all of his primary opponents saying, I agree with Joe. Joe has a good point. Well, let's listen to what Joe has to say. And so there is some suspicion that Senator Obama, his star rose so fast, people aren't totally sure who he is. And by people, I don't necessarily mean voters, I don't necessarily think that vice presidential picks make a big difference among voters but among party insiders and people in Washington, people who are still feeling a little dubious about Senator Obama and a little fractured as we head into this convention. Senator Biden is well respected by everybody in that world.

KEILAR: All right. Rebecca, Robert, Leslie, stand by. We'll be back with you folks in just a couple of minutes.

But the McCain campaign certainly has something to say about the Biden pick. They're using Biden's own words to slam Obama. Here is an example of what America is saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think in the end he's made a good decision in terms of someone who does shore up some of the weaknesses that Obama does have and some of the criticisms that people have leveled against him. I think the whole idea of having Hillary being the vice president might have been too contentious a ticket to really work well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ...tear down dictators and spoken out for American cops and firefighters. He is uniquely suited to be my partner as we work to put our country back on track.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: As America waited to hear who Barack Obama's running mate would be, it appears Obama's been Biden-time all along, pun intended. Sources say Obama informed the Delaware senator on Thursday that he was the pick. For as long as it took for Obama to announce his choice, it took the McCain camp far less time to respond. Here is what they said "there has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden. Biden has denounced Barack Obama's poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing that Barack Obama is not ready to be president."

The McCain camp is using a Democratic primary debate to help make their point. Check out this T.V. ad they fired up right after the Biden announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANNOUNCER: What does Barack Obama's running mate say about Barack Obama?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're asked if he was ready. You said, I think he can be ready, but right now I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on the job training.

BIDEN: I think I stand by the statement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: We have to wait until next week for John McCain's vice presidential choice but a McCain advisor told CNN that Obama's choice has no bearing on the presumptive GOP nominee's choice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY PFOTENHAUER, MCCAIN CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Senator McCain is going to make the decision based on who would be the right vice president, given the needs that the country faces, someone who supports the same policy, has the same philosophical outlook about where this country needs to go, and a person who could step in at a moment's notice and be commander in chief. So that decision is not going to be affected by Senator Biden's pick. It's going to be a reflection of Senator McCain's judgment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Well, let's go back out now to Denver where the Democratic convention starts on Monday. Joining us live from there, once again, CNN contributor Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic superdelegate from New York, as well as Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez, also a CNN contributor and XM Radio's Rebecca Roberts, host of "1600," the show all about this campaign.

Rebecca, let's start with you. We heard from the McCain campaign this has no bearing on who McCain's choice for vice president will be. Do you think that's right? Do you think that's correct?

ROBERTS: No, I don't think that's right. I think that Senator McCain has all along had the luxury of waiting for Senator Obama to make his choice. I don't know if it will necessarily introduce a whole new candidate to the mix at this point, but it certainly might sway his decision among his short list one way or another. And I think it will affect his strategy in terms of his rollout, the staging of the announcement, the timing of the announcement, and if it is Mitt Romney, as many people think it might be, then the Democrats have a lot of ammo because no one was more critical of Senator McCain during the Republican primary than Mitt Romney was. So if McCain is rolling out this strategy of Joe Biden on Barack Obama this early, they could see it all come back next week.

KEILAR: And, Leslie, in light of this choice, Joe Biden, who do you think McCain's choice should be? Do you think it should affect it at all? Do you think he should go for a younger running mate? SANCHEZ: What, to match that Biden, you know, run up to the stage? I don't think that's really the measure of success here. One thing that we know for sure is Senator McCain is going to pick a principled leader as he said who is ready to lead this country on day one. Because it's Biden I don't think it has the type of political impact that it could previously. If it was somebody like a Kaine from Virginia, then you're looking at those 13 electoral votes, you look at the map and say, OK, we really have to secure Pennsylvania. Somebody like Governor Ridge, you know, there was a trial balloon with his name last week, resurfaced again. You saw the pushback from conservatives. That's another reason that Governor Romney is looking very strong this week. Either way, we have a wealth of individuals and a wealth of talent who could serve. The distinction is somebody - the difference with the Republicans is it's somebody who is going to lead for the next generation, because it comes at the end of what many believe is Ronald Reagan era with the end of Bush, what are we going to look at? Economic, conservative, social conservative, where's the Republican party going. And this VP pick becomes more crucial for that reason.

KEILAR: Do you think it is Mitt Romney, Leslie?

SANCHEZ: I already read tea leaves on this one, and I was wrong. I don't think I'm going to there with that one.

KEILAR: OK. Well, Robert, let me ask you this. That campaign ad that we saw that the McCain campaign rolled out straight away after this announcement today, basically some positive words from the mouth of Joe Biden himself, positive words for John McCain expressing concern about Barack Obama's experience level, is this a problem for the campaign because one could look at that and say, that's pretty convincing, those are words coming from Joe Biden's mouth?

ZIMMERMAN: Well,you know, it's also worth noting today that Joe Biden's selection by Barack Obama was strongly praised by Republican senators like Richard Lugar and Senator Chuck Hagel. Both senators, Lugar and Hagel, Republican conservatives, praised Obama for having the vision to choose Joe Biden. I think it's important to remember that both sides will play this game of gotcha with these types of ads. And we all remember of course, when George Bush Sr. called Ronald Reagan's program voodoo economics.

And of course, the Democrats tried to jump on that as well. But it really doesn't resonate. I think what's really going to be more important here going forward is to recognize, I think Leslie would even agree with me, that John McCain is going to choose someone younger than himself for vice president. I think that's pretty clear. That's pretty obvious. I think likewise as well, ultimately it will be up to Rush Limbaugh. Because we see as John McCain moves forward. Well, he seemed to be inclined toward Tom Ridge, Rush Limbaugh shot that recommendation down.

SANCHEZ: There is something to be said about this. I mean, if you look historically, we have two different models, you can go to a Ronald Reagan model who picked George Bush and it energized the base. Then you can see the support there. We are looking for somebody who energizes the base. KEILAR: And you guys, Robert, Leslie - Robert, Leslie, I'm going to have you guys - this is the wonderful part about this show is we're going to come back to you guys in just a few minutes. So Robert, Leslie, Rebecca, stand by. We've got some other news to talk about here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Tropical storm Fay still soaking Florida this afternoon. We'll be looking at the flooding and the forecast ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: This is what Tropical Storm Fay left in its wake, now being blamed for nearly a dozen deaths in Florida. At this hour, Fay is creeping west across the Florida Panhandle, made another landfall early this morning and forecasters say it's dropping four to six inches of rain per hour. Since Monday, Fay has just drenched Florida, some areas getting more than two feet of rain. Fay is expected to move over coastal Alabama and Mississippi tomorrow, but wherever it goes people in Florida will be glad they are rid of the storm that just wouldn't go away. CNN's Susan Candiotti reports from Panama City Beach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For vacationers at Panama City Beach, Florida, maybe it's a washout for the weekend, but there has been a far greater impact for thousands and thousands of Floridians who have had to put up with Tropical Storm Fay for about a week now.

This is an historic storm. It has made four landfalls starting last month across the Florida Keys. Then it made landfall again on the west coast of Florida, crisscrossed the state to the northeast end and now is in the middle of passing over the Florida Panhandle. Now the winds here haven't been too bad in this part of the state but they are predicting gusts of up to 60 miles an hour and the possibility of up to 12 inches of rain.

On Friday, more than 100 residents of a nursing home near Jacksonville had to be evacuated by boat. No one was injured. All of those residents were moved to other facilities. No injuries as we said.

However in the state of Florida, more than 1,500 homes have been damaged. Of course, it has been declared a disaster area and relief will be on its way from FEMA. Fay may not be a hurricane, but tropical storms can be just as dangerous. At least nine deaths have been attributed to this storm in Florida, some of them due to flooding.

And that's why people have to be especially careful when they go into the surf if at all. Others caused by traffic accidents. Another death due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

So people here are hoping that the storm will finally pass through the state when the weekend is over and move on out. The message here may be Fay, Fay go away but there's still a lot of cleanup to be done.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Panama City Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And Jacqui Jeras here at the Severe Weather Center keeping an eye on things. Fay may be done with Florida, that's not the end.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KEILAR: You know, the Democratic ticket is done, but our special political panel certainly is not. We've got more from Denver coming at you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D-DE), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's something about Barack Obama that makes people understand if they make compromises, they can make things better. It's been amazing to watch him, but then again, that's been the story of his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Well, the speculation is finally over. Barack Obama's running made is fellow Senator Joe Biden.

Senator Obama just wrapped up a rally in Springfield, Illinois with his vice presidential pick. That is the same place where Obama kicked off his campaign a year and a half ago. Biden and Obama were joined by their families and cheered by a very enthusiastic crowd.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have seen this man work. I have sat with him as he chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Then by his side on the campaign trail and I can tell you that Joe Biden gets it. He's that unique public servant who is at a home in a bar in Cedar Rapids and the corridors in the cabinet. In the V.F. Hall in Concord and at the center of an international crisis.

BIDEN: You talk about how much you're worried about being able to pay the bills. Well ladies and gentlemen, that's not a worry John McCain has to worry about. It's a pretty hard experience. You don't have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Obama revealed his VP choice early this morning in a text message to supporters. So what will Biden bring to the Democratic ticket? Well, let's check in with our political panel live in Denver. Democratic super delegate Robert Zimmerman on the left, Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez on the right, appropriately. And political radio talk show host Rebecca Roberts.

Rebecca, let's talk a little bit about Joe Biden's personal story. He has a story of overcoming some personal tragedy. And there are just certain levels, certain things that make him kind of interesting. Is there a way that the Obama campaign can utilize those things?

REBECCA ROBERTS, XM RADIO: Well, I think in terms of appealing to working class particularly, Catholic, northern voters, union members, it is a need that the Obama campaign certainly has. Plus, you know, of course Senator Biden brings in those critical Delaware Electoral College votes, which you can't underestimate. So I think that he is appealing to a working class Catholic background voter. Certainly you can expect the Obama campaign to put him out there.

And also, you know, Senator Biden has a reputation for running off at the mouth. When you have a running mate in that role of being critical, which Senator Obama has shown a distaste for, maybe running off at the mouth can be turned to an asset. Maybe it's something that they can put Joe Biden out there and say, go ahead, say whatever you want as long as Senator Obama doesn't have to say it.

KEILAR: So maybe his verbal gaffes are not so much a liability as a benefit then, Rebecca.

ROBERTS: I suppose the Obama campaign can only hope. What I do know is that his verbal passes are not over with. He hasn't finished making them entirely. He's tried very hard, but I'm sure we'll see some more between now and November.

KEILAR: Well and the thing, let me bring in Robert about this, about the verbal gaffes is he never can really - you can't really predict where Biden is going to make them and they do trip him up many a time. I mean, what are you expecting to see? Could this be a liability? Take off your Democrat hat, what do you think?

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Look, let's be realistic. Verbal gaffes are a great source of fascination to political pundits. But then there are people who have real lives. And they're worried about their future, their family's future, our role in the world. And the Obama/Biden ticket is about restoring confidence in the American dream after watching John McCain pledge to continue the Bush record. So I think that's going to override all of the slip ups that both parties and I think my party as well, plays the game of gotcha over. So I think it's important to put in perspective also why we see Democrats unite behind Obama's choice. You watch the Republicans now go through the spectrum of having Rush Limbaugh and the extreme right wing vet John McCain's selection for vice presidential nominee. That will be interesting to watch in the coming weeks.

LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thank you for telling us how you think John McCain might think. It doesn't really work that way.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Leslie, we're talking about here about personal choice. I want to talk to you about you're comparing the two tickets at this point. We heard Barack Obama refer to Biden's son, who is going to be deploying to Iraq in October. Obviously a personal connection there to the war. But something that isn't publicized a whole lot is John McCain has a son who recently came back from Iraq. Of course we know that John McCain served his country valiantly. What do you think in terms of the personal connection in terms of the war and patriotism in either ticket? Who do you think wins here?

SANCHEZ: You know, you really can't match. You've got a candidate who's got a political neophyte. You've got to look at the top of ticket and Barack Obama who does not have the bonafide in foreign policy. He knew that. He knew he was weak with Independent voters who are still very skeptical and needed to be reassured. And then you look at the electoral map and see that white, working class voters, especially in the Rust Belt, were not coming along and were looking very seriously at John McCain. And there you have your Biden.

There is no doubt that Senator Biden has a compelling story. That's not really the issue. The issue is that he's somebody who contradicts in so many ways and was the harshest critic of the man who put him on the ticket. I mean, he's somebody who takes lobbyist money. He's something who said that Barack Obama was...

ZIMMERMAN: Are you against taking lobbyist money?

SANCHEZ: Well Barack Obama apparently is.

ZIMMERMAN: John McCain isn't.

SANCHEZ: But Barack Obama set that up as a standard for his campaign. And then take somebody who takes over $300,000 since 1997. He's somebody who said he's legislative...

ROBERTS: I would also argue that Joe Biden was not...

KEILAR: Rebecca, go ahead.

ROBERTS: Joe Biden was not Barack Obama's harshest critic. Hillary Clinton was Barack Obama's harshest critic. And yes, the McCain campaign was clearly ready with an ad, but Joe Biden was not aggressive.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: I would say absolutely. He's got Barack Obama like a fish. He said he was not qualified to be commander-in-chief. He questioned his judgment.

ZIMMERMAN: But let's also be realistic. What's said in the heat of the campaign didn't stop John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson from having a winning ticket or Ronald Reagan and George Bush from having a winning ticket. We're talking about issues that are much bigger than ...

KEILAR: So let me ask you Rebecca, is this something that you think could jeopardize the ticket or do you think this is not really?

ROBERTS: No, I mean I think that this ad is exactly what the McCain campaign needed to do to step on this news cycle to any degree they could. But I think that the idea that Senator Biden criticized Senator Obama during the primary is not something that's going to sink this ticket. If that's the worst thing they have against Joe Biden, then it's pretty weak ammo.

KEILAR: All right Rebecca, Robert and Leslie, we're going to be right back with you in just a moment.

But you know, CNN i-Reporters, they're also keeping up a running commentary on Barack Obama's new running mate. Our Josh Levs has been monitoring all of the reaction. There's so much of it, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, you need to come up for air for a second after that one. Drowning in analysis - no look, it's great to have the analysts that we do. It's also great to hear from you. And you can hear yourself tell us what you think when you send us your own videos, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Our i-Reporters are buzzing about this pick of Joe Biden as Barack Obama's number two. But before we get to that, I just want to thank our political panel for being with us today. Democratic super delegate Robert Zimmerman, Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez and political radio talk show host with XM Radio Rebecca Roberts. Thank you guys for taking the time there in Denver. We appreciate it.

All right and I'm sure we'll see you again in the coming hours and days. But let's talk about your reaction to the Biden announcement. These have been piling up in our inbox. CNN's Josh Levs inbox, I should say. You've been keeping an eye on these i-Reports.

LEVS: It's quite a day. I don't remember a day like this ever. Certainly receiving this many early on and they've just been coming at us all day. You mentioned the photo people are really interested in. It's a great shot. It's on our Web site right now. And the main page where people are weighing is over here at ireport.com. It's the biggest question we are asking today, and I just mistakenly covered it up. There you go, Obama selects Biden. People are weighing in on this right now.

Some people are sending us videos. Let's take a look at a clip of one video that we received today. This one comes to us from Trevor Lawrence who is from Los Angeles. And he really likes this choice. Here's what he says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TREVOR LAWRENCE, CNN I-REPORTER: Senator Barack Obama's choice to nominate Senator Biden was absolutely the right choice. It brings a great deal of experience to the campaign, and it also shows that Barack Obama knows how to put the right people in the right places.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Not everybody thinks this is the right person for this particular place. Let's go to one quote we have. This one also just came to us recently. This comes to us from Jerry Rothwell (ph) who wrote and I believe we have a screen we can show you with that quote right here where this person says "I think Obama made a mistake in not choosing Mrs. Clinton as his VP." There you go. "He has lost my vote, my family's vote and I believe a large percentage of Hillary supporters. I thought Obama was smarter than that."

Now let's go to one more from Roger Misso who wrote us this. "How can this be an election about change and the transformational power of the Democratic Party with one of the longest serving Senators on ticket? Obama took the next two and a half months of excitement and turned into a drudgingly boring race."

So obviously we've got all sorts of opinions coming at us. If you want to weigh in, it's really easy. All you need to do is go to ireport.com. It gives you all the instructions right there. If you want to send photos, videos, or just your thoughts on this and Brianna, we will continue to bring them to you right here on the air. We obviously love to hear thoughtful, respectful opinions. Be passionate, but be respectful along the way. And yeah, we'll keep bringing them to you here.

KEILAR: All right Josh, thanks for sifting through all of those. We appreciate it.

So just how do the parties' conventions work? How much do they cost? Who foots the bill here? Get an inside look in our special online report. It's all at CNN.com/convention. Well, the party conventions are a huge deal, a big deal, and that cost big bucks to put them on. So who's paying for it? Here's a hint. You can cry if you want to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He also stated that he needed someone to balance him, as well as challenge him. So I think it was a very good selection. And he did his homework. He really did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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KEILAR: Well, our top story, the Democratic ticket is set. Barack Obama has picked Delaware Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate. CNN broke this story late last night. The ticket debuted this afternoon officially in Springfield, Illinois. Biden will speak at the convention in Denver on Wednesday night. And Rick Sanchez joining us now for a look at what's up at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: There's a feistiness to this guy that you don't usually see with many politicians. It's almost like an unparalleled passion. Put his picture up while he's giving the speech. I want to show you something. I mean look at this guy, the way he comes out, the way he starts to talk. This is a man who usually does "The Daily Show." He's on with Bill Maher. He's really uncomfortable in settings that a lot of other politicians aren't so comfortable with. There's a good and bad to that. Obviously the good is he's impactful. He's one of those guys, have you ever heard -- you've been in television long enough, Brianna, oh, he has the type of demeanor that cuts through the screen? KEILAR: Uh-huh.

SANCHEZ: He's got that. Of course the problem, and as you know, a lot of pundits are going to say, sometimes a guy like that can get you in a lot of trouble because he can say things before he really thinks them through.

We're going to be talking to a Republican conservative who's going to be breaking down for us at 5:00 mostly the bad, as you might expect, in having a guy like Joe Biden on the ticket. We're going to break that down.

And then at 10:00 we're going to do something unorthodox. We're going to do the entire speech as you've seen it tonight, we're going to take all the scripts and just throw them away and we're to just stop from time to time whenever we think it's important and get reaction from the right, the left, the historian and of course one of our own, the best political team on television.

KEILAR: All right, looking very interesting, looking forward to that, Rick.

SANCHEZ: There you go.

KEILAR: And thanks to all of you for joining us on this very, very busy day here at CNN. I'm Brianna Keilar at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. More CNN NEWSROOM ahead with Rick Sanchez.

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