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Biden Chosen as Obama's Running Mate
Aired August 23, 2008 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN, (D) DELAWARE: You have a brilliant, relatively young man, who's the nominee of the Democratic party, who's leading John McCain in every area except the one where experience just intuitively suggests people think if you're experienced, you must know more.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Speaking of experience, that man has it, Delaware Senator Joe Biden is Barack Obama's choice for vice president. The best political team in television's all over this story. Hello everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen in Atlanta.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes, as well.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Wolf Blitzer at the Democratic National Convention here in Denver.
HOLMES: We will be getting back to Wolf Blitzer here in just a moment, letting him bring his SITUATION ROOM to us here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, but the wait now over. Barack Obama has named officially his former rival as his vice presidential running mate, that's Senator Joseph Biden we're talking about, from Delaware. He was one of Obama's opponents in the democratic presidential primaries. Now they will be running together as the democratic ticket in the November election. CNN's John King was the first to bring this news to us early this morning. Then around 3:00 Eastern Time, the Obama campaign sent out that text message to supporters. This is what people have been waiting on and it says quote, "Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee. Watch the first Obama-Biden rally live at 3:00 eastern time. Spread the word." Now we do want to head back out to Denver, the site of the Democratic National Convention, and our Wolf Blitzer handling things for us there again. Good morning to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Good morning, T.J. Good morning, Betty. This is where Senator Biden will be accepting the vice presidential nomination on Wednesday night. Senator Obama will be accepting the democratic presidential nomination on Thursday night. But both of them later today will be together in Springfield, Illinois, the old state capitol building, where they'll be speaking and making the case that the Obama/Biden ticket is the way to go over these next 70 days or so, until the November 4th election. Let's learn a little bit more now about this decision, about Senator Biden. Bill Schneider, our senior political analyst, is here with us. Bill, this was a difficult decision for Senator Obama. It says a lot about what he wants, who he is, but we're learning more and more as the minutes go on about Senator Biden. And you know what, we're going to be learning a lot more as the days continue.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, that's right. Change and experience, that's the ticket.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): What does Joe Biden bring to the ticket? The ability to speak knowledgeably about issues like these --
SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) DELAWARE: What's going on in Pakistan this very moment as I speak to you? What's going on in the sub continent overall, the Korean peninsula, China, Hugo Chavez rewriting the constitution to make himself leader for life and the de- democratization of Latin America. Ladies and gentlemen, there's a great deal at stake.
SCHNEIDER: Biden is the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. He's been in the senate for 36 years. He knows Washington, he knows the world, two areas where Barack Obama's credentials are a little weak, and he's from Delaware! Delaware? Just three electoral votes. Pretty reliably democratic. How does Biden help Obama politically? Biden is a catholic, and Catholics are swing voters. He has roots in Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania's a swing state, one that Obama lost to Hillary Clinton in the primaries.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Joe Biden can immediately put to rest any fears people might have about Barack Obama's lack of foreign policy experience. Also, he can really appeal to these working-class white voters in states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and even Michigan.
SCHNEIDER: Biden talks a great deal, sometimes saying things he shouldn't say.
BIDEN: I mean, you got the first sort of mainstream African- American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man.
PRESTON: Joe Biden can be long-winded, and in the past, he has had to go back and apologize for some of the statements that he's made.
SCHNEIDER: Can Biden control his tendency to say too much? He's certainly trying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An editorial in the "Los Angeles Times" said in addition to his uncontrolled verbosity, Biden is a gaff machine. Can you reassure voters in this country that you would have the discipline you would need on the world stage, senator?
BIDEN: Yes. [ laughter ]
(END OF VIDEOTAPE) SCHNEIDER: Joe Biden has held two of the most important jobs in Washington -- chairman of the senate judiciary committee and chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. That's reassuring to some voters who worry about Obama's inexperience.
BLITZER: He's got a lot of experience on domestic issues, foreign policy issues.
SCHNEIDER: Right.
BLITZER: Bill, thanks very much. I want to go right out to Springfield, Illinois right now. Jessica Yellin is getting ready for the big event later this afternoon about, what, 3:00 p.m. eastern, Jessica? Obama/Biden, together on the stage. This is the same location where Senator Obama kicked off his run for the White House about 19 months ago. It's been a long run since then. Set the stage for us, Jessica.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) -- legislature.
BLITZER: I think we're having some problems --
YELLIN: Real history here.
BLITZER: Oh, there she is. Go ahead, Jessica. We had some problems, I want to apologize for some technical problems with your audio. But go ahead and start from the beginning. Set the stage for us on what we can expect today where you are.
YELLIN: The stage has been set behind me, and folks are beginning to gather outside for the event that will begin at 2:00 local time. This is not just the place where Barack Obama kicked off his presidential bid, but also where Abraham Lincoln served in the state legislature, where he practiced law. A nod to history here from the now Obama/Biden ticket. We're going to see, I'd estimate, about 2,000 people would be approximately the crowd size, I think, that could gather on the grassy square in front of the stage, and perhaps some more people around. So not the mega forum that we've seen Obama in before, but still expecting a sizable crowd. And we're going to see the two gentlemen on the stage together, not just them, but also their spouses. So, we'll have a sense of what the overall picture of this ticket will look like, and it's the beginning of the roll into the convention by the Obama campaign. So, if you hear sound behind me, it's the first guests starting to arrive. People already in line here. An enthusiastic audience here, Wolf. And I should add, we're already hearing pushback from the McCain campaign. I'm getting e- mails from folks pushing back, saying that Biden has plenty of flaws, and we will, of course, continue to cover all those as well. But right now, here on this site, a lot of enthusiasm for this ticket today. Wolf?
BLITZER: And as a lot of people have been saying, since over the past 24 hours or so, if not longer, Jessica, Biden may be able to take a punch, but he can certainly give a punch, as well. And I assume that's one of the reasons why Senator Obama decided, you know, he needs this man in his corner with him as he moves forward. YELLIN: They think that he is an exceptionally effective debater and good on the attack, because he isn't shy about it. He's comfortable and not ill at east the way Obama sometimes seems when he's being critical. There's also another advantage, which is he is effective, the Democratic Party thinks, in, you know, sort of blue collar America, if you will. I just got off the phone with Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, who was an early Obama supporter, and he tells me he thinks that Biden could make a big difference in Pennsylvania. Biden not only from Scranton, he's on the Philadelphia TV airwaves a lot, but also has spent a lot of time in western Pennsylvania, an area the senator says we have a lot of work to do, meaning the Obama campaign. So, a sense that Biden could make a big difference in one battleground state, at least, and Senator Casey said he thinks also in Michigan and Ohio. We'll see what kind of delivery we get from Biden today and exactly how they're going to sell his life story and the image of that ticket just a few hours from now. Wolf?
BLITZER: He has a very compelling personal story, as well, and our viewers are going to be learning a lot more about that over the next several days, and certainly, he will be highlighted Wednesday night when he accepts the democratic vice presidential nomination. All right, thanks very much for that. I want to show our viewers a live picture of Senator Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware, right now. There it is. Looks like there is some movement, cars coming in, cars coming out, but this looks like one vehicle, potentially that could be taking Senator Biden and others off to a nearby airport, where he and the family will be flying to Springfield to connect with Senator Obama and that big event in Springfield later this afternoon. I think we have Linda Douglass joining us right now, in just a moment Linda Douglass will be joining us. Linda Douglass is, as many of you probably know, a former network television correspondent. She now works for Senator Obama, and she is our top strategist and press secretary as well. Linda covered congress for a long time, and she knows Senator Biden quite well. Linda, are you there? Can you hear me?
LINDA DOUGLASS, OBAMA CAMPAIGN SPOKESWOMAN: I am, Wolf, how are you?
BLITZER: Good. Tell us why Senator Obama decided amongst all the possibilities to go with Senator Biden.
DOUGLASS: Well, this is just an exceptionally good fit. I mean, as you have been discussing already this morning, you know, Joe Biden is the acknowledged foreign policy expert in the United States congress. He has been in Washington working on these issues for decades, and yet, you know, the thing is, he is not of Washington. He is, as you well know, Wolf, he's a guy who doesn't own a home in Washington. He goes home every single night to his family in Delaware. He's rooted in the middle class. He's been a great voice for the cops and the firefighters of America. And he's the kind of person who will be just the perfect partner for Barack Obama in trying to make the kind of change that's necessary to pull us out of the rut that we've been forced into from the policies of George Bush.
BLITZER: But he has been a fixture in Washington for 30-plus years, as you know. He was a young man when he was elected to the senate, and that whole notion of change versus Washington politics as usual, how does Senator Obama now explain to his supporters that Senator Biden is a senator of change, as opposed to business as usual in Washington?
DOUGLASS: Because, as I was saying before, and you know this, too, but certainly, Wolf, from all the many years that you've watched Joe Biden, he is not a creature of Washington. He isn't one of those who is on the Washington cocktail circuit. He doesn't spend all of his time hanging around with lobbyists. He lives in his home in Delaware. His friends are his family. He's got this enormous, wonderful, Irish family. He's really a working-class guy, kind of a lunch bucket guy. He has devoted his life to public service. He is not a man of means at all. He is a man of very modest means, and he has spent his entire life fighting for average Americans, almost more than any other member of congress, and that is really the kind of partner that Barack Obama wants when trying to restore fairness to the lives of working Americans and their families.
BLITZER: Linda, listen to this ad that the McCain campaign has already released, going after Senator Obama, going after Senator Biden. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does Barack Obama's running mate say about Barack Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You were asked, "is he 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.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what does he say about John McCain?
BIDEN: I would be honored to run with or against John McCain, I think the country would be better off.
MCCAIN: I'm John McCain, and I approve this message.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right, let's get some response from the Obama campaign. Linda that would be you. What do you say?
DOUGLASS: Well, first of all, since then what Joe Biden has said about Barack Obama is that he has the intellect and the judgment and a spine of steel necessary to get us out of the hole that the Bush administration policies have put us into. That is what he's saying about Barack Obama. And secondly, with respect to John McCain, you know, he was not talking about the John McCain of this campaign, you know, the John McCain who has passionately embraced the failed economic policies of the Bush administration that have left so many Americans behind, and the John McCain who can't remember, lives in a world where he can't remember how many homes he owns and thinks that the fundamentals of the economy are sound, and the McCain who says he wants to outlaw abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. So, that's the McCain of this campaign. That's not the McCain he was talking about.
BLITZER: We'll be speaking a lot, Linda. Linda Douglass, is a top strategist working for Senator Obama, and obviously, now, about to be working for Senator Biden, as well. And a press secretary, among other things. Linda, thanks very much for joining us.
DOUGLASS: Thanks so much for having me, Wolf.
BLITZER: And we're going to continue our coverage here from the Democratic National Convention in Denver. We're also going to be in Springfield, Illinois, to see the new ticket, the Obama/Biden ticket, unveiled later today. In the meantime, let's go back to T.J. for some other important news. This is going to be a busy day, T.J., for all of us.
HOLMES: And none busier than you, as always, Wolf. We will see you again here shortly. And we will stick with this story here for just a moment, speaking of Biden, as we've been speaking of all morning. Some words of praise coming his way from none other than Hillary Clinton. Clinton issued a statement not too long after Obama made the announcement of his choice. Clinton says, "In naming my colleague and friend, Senator Joe Biden, to be the vice presidential nominee, Senator Obama has continued in the best traditions for the exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant. Senator Biden will be a purposeful and dynamic vice president, who will help Senator Obama both win the presidency and govern this great country." We do have a reminder for you, that, yes, Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden will make their first joint appearance as running mates at a rally this afternoon. A live picture here we want to show you of the old state capitol in Springfield, Illinois, where the rally is going to be held. Again, you might recognize that from a year and a half ago. Same spot where Senator Barack Obama announced that he was running for president. But that rally you can see right here at 3:00 eastern time. Live coverage right here.
NGUYEN: So, what do you think about the decision? Was it the right one? Was it the one you would have chosen? Online and in form, we'll hear what people have to say about the choice today by Senator Barack Obama. Also, we're going to hear from the McCain campaign. All of that is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: As we take a live look now at Denver -- or did -- the site of the Democratic National Convention, you're going to be seeing a lot of these two guys. Breaking news this morning -- Barack Obama picks Delaware Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate. Obama and Biden will appear together at a rally in Springfield, Illinois, at 3:00 p.m. eastern, and CNN will be there live to bring it to you. It's a very historic place, as well as the same site where Obama launched his campaign some 19 months ago. But let's get back to Biden for a moment, because that is his pick for the vice presidency. He is a U.S. senator from Delaware, 65 years old. He was elected to the senate back in 1972, so he's got some 35-plus years experience, which is very important to the Obama ticket, especially when it comes to foreign relations. In fact, O Biden is -- there I go again -- Biden is chairman of the foreign relations committee. We've been up since 3:00 a.m. folks covering this story, since the text message went out. He's going to address the democratic convention Wednesday night. As you well know, he ran for president this year, as well as back in 1988. All eyes will be on these two guys today at 3:00 p.m. eastern.
HOLMES: So, why Joe? Why Joe Biden? Well, he has a fat foreign policy resume, that's certainly a resume that Obama lacks. Biden has been in the senate as you mentioned there since 1972 and serves currently as the foreign relations committee chairperson. Also, he served as the head of the judiciary committee at one point. So, he's really a leading authority for his party on international affairs. Here now, Joe Biden last month, talking about the experience factor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) DELAWARE: You have a brilliant, relatively young man, who's the nominee of the Democratic Party, who is leading John McCain on every area except the one where experience just intuitively suggests -- people think if you're experienced, you must know more.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: And that's Senator Joe Biden speaking only a month or so ago. Senator Biden will be on the ticket now with Senator Barack Obama. Let's get some reaction from the McCain campaign. Joining us now from McCain campaign headquarters in northern Virginia is Nancy Pfotenhauer, she's a senior adviser and press secretary, if you will, for Senator McCain. Nancy, thanks very much for joining us. This is going to be rather hard I suspect, for Senator McCain to go after, to go after Senator Biden, given the very close relationship the two of these U.S. senators have had over the years. Is that -- actually, I think we just lost Nancy Pfotenhauer. Nancy, are you there? Can you hear me?
NANCY PFOTENHAUER, MCCAIN CAMPAIGN SPOKESWOMAN: Yes, I can, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, good. We fixed that little technical glitch. How hard -- here's the question -- how hard, Nancy, will it be for Senator McCain to slam Senator Biden, given the rather close personal and working relationship they've had in the senate for more than two decades?
PFOTENHAUER: Well, I don't think we need to slam Senator Biden. We just need to discuss what this means about the decision that Obama made to choose him. It clearly showcases that Obama's aware that he lacks the experience, if you will, and the judgment in foreign policy arenas, and I think it also underscores, by the way, the very dangerous instincts both men have, if you will -- Senator Biden and Senator Obama have on economic and energy policies.
BLITZER: Why do you say that? Because don't you think that Senator McCain would pick someone as his running mate who's qualified to be president, has got a lot of experience in foreign affairs and in domestic matters, doesn't Senator Biden fit that bill?
PFOTENHAUER: Well, Senator Biden's experience and judgment on foreign policy, all it does is showcase Obama's lack of experience. And the bottom line is, there's only one commander in chief. And in somebody like Senator Obama, you have a person who doesn't seem to be able to admit when he's made a mistake. He was on the ground in Iraq when the evidence of the success of the surge was all around him, and even then refused to admit that the surge has succeeded, against virtually universal judgment. And so, having Biden in as the VP pick isn't going to change Senator Obama's bad judgment on foreign policy, and what it does is coalesce their abysmal instincts, if you will, on economic and energy policy. Senator Biden was ranked the third most liberal senator by "National Journal," Senator Obama the first.
BLITZER: Will this decision by Senator Obama to tap Senator Biden as his running mate affect Senator McCain's decision on whom he will ask to be his running mate?
PFOTENHAUER: I don't think so, Wolf. I think 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 policies, 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. And 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.
BLITZER: I asked the question, because Senator Biden is, as you know, an excellent debater, very feisty, obviously, very intelligent. He can more than handle his own. I did a couple of those presidential debates when he was part of the mix, and he obviously does very well. I assume Senator McCain will be looking for someone who can go toe to toe with Senator Biden in that one vice presidential debate that's now scheduled.
PFOTENHAUER: Well, and I don't think that's going to be an issue. And you know as well as I know, Wolf, because we go back and we can remember the '88 debate, Senator Biden has a lot of feistiness, but he also has a bit of a tendency towards embellishment and exaggeration, which I would note is also present with Senator Obama, and that ends up, it may come off well in the debate, but ends up creating a lot of problems for them afterwards, when fact-checkers come in and say, no, really, Senator Obama, you weren't on the committee you claim to be on, or no, Senator Biden, those words were not your own, or you didn't graduate in the top half of your law school class, or Senator Obama, your parents didn't meet at that march in Selma, because you were born four years beforehand. You know, they tend to -- I mean, the best interpretation would be they get caught up in the moment and they say what would make a good point, but is not in fact accurate. And so, I think this is a real slippery slope which should be a lot of fun to watch.
BLITZER: Finally, we're out of time, but quickly, next Friday in Dayton, Ohio, that's when Senator McCain will make his announcement. Is that right?
PFOTENHAUER: Well, you will hear it when I hear it, probably, Wolf. So I don't want to go too much into the details of our vice presidential announcement, but we will be as straight forward with the American people as we have been on every other issue.
BLITZER: And "Time" magazine says it's Mitt Romney. Is it?
PFOTENHAUER: There's a cone of silence over my office, I can tell you that. I have absolutely no knowledge on this and wouldn't even pretend to try to project.
BLITZER: Nancy Pfotenhauer is the senior adviser to Senator McCain. Nancy we'll be speaking a lot over the next several days and weeks. Thanks very much for joining us.
PFOTENHAUER: I look forward to it, Wolf. Take care.
BLITZER: Thank you.
Let's go back to Betty at the CNN Center. Betty?
NGUYEN: Well, the answer to the VP question is in for the democrats, but Florida still waiting for someone to answer the Fay question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When is it going to stop?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: They are waiting for Fay to go away. There are additional deaths related to this storm. Stay tuned for the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, if you don't know, just about everybody else does by now, Senator Joe Biden is the guy who has been tapped as the vice presidential running mate for Senator Barack Obama. We are expected to see the two here in just a bit at a rally in Springfield, Illinois, that's coming your way at 3:00 eastern time and we will have live coverage of it. It is expected to take place there at the old state capitol in Springfield, Illinois, which is exactly the same spot where Senator Barack Obama launched his presidential campaign a year and a half ago. Also, we're keeping an eye, before he gets there, Senator Biden, he has to leave his home in Delaware. We've been watching this picture all morning. Initially it was just reporters staking out the home waiting for Senator Joe Biden to leave that home and head to the airport, but a lot of other people, a lot of passers-by have stopped and kind of taken in this festive atmosphere it's turned into now. Looks like the Delaware state fair almost, you've got so many people roaming around. You see babies, you see dogs, you see all kinds of people just coming by. A guy stretching there. Maybe he was on a run. NGUYEN: They've been there for quite some time. We've been watching this shot since oh, I don't know, about what, 6:00 a.m. this morning?
HOLMES: Maybe a little before. I know at least since 5:00, but we've been staking out his home for quite some time anyway, we've been keeping an eye on all the possible VP picks and all of their homes. But waiting, seen several cars go in, not too many come out, but a motorcade we're expecting to take him to the airport so he can get to Springfield. We'll bring you all that coverage here live on CNN.
NGUYEN: And don't forget that speech live today 3:00 p.m. eastern.
Speaking of big news, the other story today, that, of course, being Fay. Eight deaths blamed on the tropical storm in Florida this morning, and Fay has just drenched Florida with astonishing amounts of rain since it first hit the state on Monday. Some areas had been doused with more than two feet of water. Fay never did grow into a hurricane, but its winds still strong enough to bring down trees and cause a good amount of property damage. So, let's get the latest on where Fay is, because we have learned, Reynolds, that two more deaths have been added to that list, bringing it to eight, and we're also looking at maybe another landfall on top of the sixth that we've already seen.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, in case you haven't heard yet, the democrats have a ticket. Most of us were sleeping when the announcement came very early this morning, just after midnight. CNN's John King, in fact, reported that Barack Obama had picked Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware as his running mate. He was the first to report it. That report then was confirmed at 3:00 a.m. eastern, when the Obama campaign sent a text message to supporters, and it said, "Barack Obama has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee. Watch the first Obama-Biden rally at 3:00 p.m. eastern time." Of course that's going to be live. "Spread the word." And we will bring that to you live right here on CNN. But right now, we want to take you live to Denver where own Wolf Blitzer is standing by. Hey there, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Betty. I want to bring in Joe Johns right away, our longtime congressional correspondent. You spent a lot of time with Joe Biden, as have I. We know him quite well. And I think it's fair to say that this decision says a lot about Senator Barack Obama, and to a certain degree -- correct me if you think I'm wrong -- he wants to live on the edge a little bit.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's clear.
BLITZER: He could have picked Evan Bayh. That would have been much less edgy, if you will, given Evan Bayh's stance on the issues and his record as opposed to Joe Biden. JOHNS: The no-milk toast for Barack Obama. He wants to take a little bit of a risk here, he wants somebody who's going to throw some punches. But you have to say, the most important thing that a lot of people are saying, which is true, among democrats, Joe Biden is just about the pre-eminent expert on foreign policy among people on Capitol Hill, and perhaps, in the federal government. So, that is the good side of it. On the other side, talking to a lot of democrats on the phone this morning, there are some concerns about him. Number one -- the concern that Joe Biden will dilute that change message that Barack Obama has been pushing so hard. There is also the question of there being no executive experience on the ticket now. We'll have two United States senators, as opposed to say a governor of a state, somebody who's actually run something. And that may very well play into John McCain's decision. A lot of people are talking this morning -- I saw you talking about Mitt Romney, perhaps. And then the other thing, of course, that we've been talking about so much is that issue of him being a lose cannon. Joe Biden is one of those people who says what he thinks. One democratic insider I talked to this morning said Joe Biden is good for half a dozen gaffes between now and November, and we do know another thing democrats are concerned a little bit about -- the last time he ran for president, which was back in the late 1980s --
BLITZER: '88.
JOHNS: Right. He seemed to have this fascination with Neil Kenneth, the British labor party leader, and he got into trouble with charges of plagiarism and what have you. Again, sort of that loose canyon, playing on the edge, not watching his words could come back to haunt him if he's not careful.
BLITZER: And to a certain degree, let's get back to the notion that Barack Obama wanted this guy. He could have picked a lot of other people. He could have picked Tim Kaine, the governor of Virginia. That would have reinforced, he could have doubled down on his notion of change or Kathleen Sebelius, the governor of Kansas, no real Washington experience, doubling down on the notion of change. Instead, he went to this U.S. senator, who's been in the senate, what, since 1972. In his late 20s he was elected.
JOHNS: Right, right. Well, sure. But what he also needed was somebody who could really throw a punch. He knows he'll take a punch. He needed somebody who could get in there and mix it up the way Barack Obama can't necessarily do. Joe Biden is that guy. He'll say what he means. Sometimes he'll say it off the cuff, he'll get in trouble for it, there will be a lot of articles written about it, but at the end of the day, some people will come away thinking, that Joe Biden, he really says what's on his mind. Now, that's, you know, that's what I want.
BLITZER: I noticed today that there was a really strong statement, a nice statement coming out from a republican senator from Indiana, Richard Lugar, praising Barack Obama's decision to pick his friend, the chairman of the foreign relations committee, Joe Biden. He said he's disappointed that Evan Bayh, his colleague from Indiana, didn't get it, but he praised Joe Biden. Biden has had a good relationship with several republicans. Not only Hagel on the foreign relations committee, but Chuck -- I mean, not only Lugar, but Chuck Hagel, and among others.
JOHNS: Well, certainly. It's a club, as you know, the United States senate, and he gets along very well with a lot of people. He gets along with the media. He's sort of an inside player. That's something that helps him along. He also has a lot of power on Capitol Hill, but he's very accessible. So people like him a lot. He obviously got along very well with Barack Obama on the Hill, and that matters, too. It looks like there's some pretty good chemistry there. That should help them both going forward, you would think.
BLITZER: It was interesting, after Biden dropped out of the race himself, he didn't endorse Obama. He didn't endorse Hillary Clinton. He stayed out of it. Yet, Barack Obama in the end said I want you, and now he has him. All right, Joe, we're going to continue this conversation. T.J., it's exciting! It's fun covering politics, as you guys well know yourselves. And you know what? We're only getting started.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we enjoy it, but I don't think anybody enjoys it and does it as well as you, Wolf Blitzer, that big smile on your face, even though you've been up since the crack of dawn this morning covering this story. We appreciate you. And we continue -- as you can see possibly there as well, Wolf, we're watching this shot on the side of the screen here. That's the live picture out of Delaware, where we've been keeping an eye on the home of Senator Joe Biden. Reporters have been there keeping an eye on his home, watching for any movement. Several other people have joined up out there, just passers-by, and it's taken on kind of a festive atmosphere. This camera shot is a little zoomed in. You can't really get the full perspective of what's happening, but you see certainly reporters walking around, photographers walking around with those cameras, keeping an eye on it. We just saw two or three big SUVs go into the home. We're expecting Senator Biden to be picked up and to be taken to an airport, where he's then going to go for the rally in Springfield, Illinois, the first time we'll see Obama/Biden on a stage together as the democratic ticket. So, we will keep an eye on that picture there. Meantime, I'm going to turn back to our Josh Levs, who's been soliciting and seeing a lot of CNN i-Reports about what people think about Obama's choice. What do they think?
JOSH LEVS: I can't remember the last time there were that many reporters outside a house since Paris Hilton. Except this time there's actual real, real American news value.
Obviously, we'll pull out if he goes anywhere, because you know we're going to be following him to the big event in Illinois today. But yeah, we're getting so incredibly many emails, i-Reports. We can barely piece through them. Thanks for sending them, keep them coming, ireport.com. Let's start off with this first one here, people weighing in on whether this is a good choice or not. And I'm going to go first to a soundbite we have from a video i-Report from Rick Seno who says this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICK SENO, DALLAS, TEXAS: Someone who said in a democratic debate that Obama did not have the experience and was not ready to lead. Even Hillary Clinton didn't say that.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And so, he's saying now he can't even see supporting her -- in fact, supporting that ticket, rather. In fact, he's now thinking about going to one of the smaller parties out there for a candidate. We do hear from some people who like this candidate a lot. Let's go to this quote we have now from an i-Report we received this morning, from a man named Brent Nicholas Zoo, that's his real name, I actually spoke with. He believes that the selection of Joe Biden will send shock down the spine of the McCain team, which is making foreign policy the centerpiece of his campaign. Also, Biden's selection enhances Obama's chances, he says, of winning in Pennsylvania, key swing state, and doing well with blue collar voters. Supposed to say collar, but we know what he means. Now before I go, I want to tell you about one more thing we're hearing this morning, that is some people weighing in on this question about how Barack Obama handled the announcement, the 3:00 a.m. text. Were you first to know? Were you not first to know? Let's look at a couple of emails we've gotten this morning. We're going to go first to this one from Phyllis Moss who says , "I loved it. Politics has never been so exciting. I knew Obama would make a great pick." Now to Mary Hauch, who has a different view. She says, "Actually I think it was somewhat of a gimmick and I never expected to get an email or text message that reported something to me first, especially since my life isn't lived hovering over a cellphone or anxiously hoping an email will arrive."
We've got time let's do a couple more. Kendra writes us, "I've been sleeping close to my phone for days waiting for this text. When I woke at 3:00 a.m. to hear of Obama's selection, I couldn't do anything but smile. And from Sharon, "I think Obama turned the VP pick into a ridiculous game. It reminded me of when my kids were in kindergarten. Particularly when he said, "I've decided, but I'm not telling." And we'll end with this from Brian Harrison, who's very happy this morning, who writes us, "Obama nailed this in every way." Now, your chance to weigh in, really easy. Write us here at ireport.com or you can e-mail us, weekends@cnn.com. We've got a team here in the newsroom piecing through these, sharing some every hour. And T.J., I'll be back next hour with the latest that we get then. Let's go back to you.
HOLMES: All right, Josh, we appreciate you. Folks, again, what you're seeing on the right side of your screen, the home of Senator Joe Biden, where you see a couple of police motorcycles now arriving. We've seen the big SUVs arriving. You can see quite a big crowd as arrived now as well. Everybody waiting to get the first shot that we've seen today of Senator Joe Biden. It's not like we haven't seen the man before, but this will be the first time we have seen him as the vice presidential pick of Senator Barack Obama. So, we'll keep an eye on this scene, but we need to hand it back over to our guy, Wolf Blitzer who's keeping an eye on things out in Denver, where the Democratic National Convention's starting up on Monday. Wolf? BLITZER: On this exciting day, T.J., coming up, we're going to be speaking with Gloria Borger. She's here in Denver with us. She's been speaking with insiders, getting the inside scoop on what is really going on as we await Senator Biden's departure from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and flying off to Springfield, Illinois, where he'll team up with Senator Barack Obama. Lots of news happening. Political news on this important day, a milestone in the race for the White House. Much more of our coverage, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: And yes, that's the guy on the right, and that's the guy at the top of the ticket on the left. That is the democratic ticket you're looking at. Senator Barack Obama made it official today that Senator Joe Biden of Delaware will be his pick. We want to take you out live now, just outside of Wilmington, Delaware, a picture here of what may be now the motorcade that we've been keeping an eye on for the past six hours. It appears that Senator Joe Biden, who is now for the first day as the official nominee or the official VP pick of Barack Obama, leaving his home, we believe, heading to the airport, where he will be taken to Springfield, Illinois, to do his first campaign event. Now, he may have been stepping out. Certainly, these are not all reporters. First it was just all reporters this morning, but now a bigger crowd has gathered, a lot of passers-by, bystanders, just taking in the atmosphere here. But this is his home just outside of Wilmington. Now, we don't have the best vantage point here of the shot, but it looks like one door of that SUV did swing open and people got excited. We can't make him out in there. Maybe you can make out something a little better than I can, but it doesn't look like we can see. We'll try to get some possible video a little closer up, maybe, but people did seem to get excited, and he is a favorite son there of that area. He's been in the senate for some 35-plus years, representing the state of Delaware. So, he might have stepped out just to give the people a little something to see this morning. Many of them have been gathered there for quite some time. So, yeah, we've been waiting on this motorcade. So now it looks like he may be leaving -- no. We're not going to get a better shot.
NGUYEN: It's just fascinating though, T.J., how many people have actually come out? We've been watching this, like you said, for the past six hours or so and at the crack of dawn, there was nothing but a few reporters and some photographers. And over the hours, as people have gotten word that Biden is on this ticket, he and Barack Obama will be stepping out in public today in Springfield, Illinois. They've come out to support, to gather, around his house. And wave flags. And whatnot, just to show the excitement that's been building, surrounding this ticket. We've been waiting for how many days now to find out exactly who the VP pick would be and there was a lot of talk that it would happen maybe during the week. And then we got word, just past midnight, our John King broke the news. That it indeed was Joe Biden. And after that around 3:00 a.m. the Obama campaign sent out a text message to everyone saying that, indeed, he has made his choice and that being Biden. And as you mentioned, T.J., he does bring a lot of experience to the ticket. And that does provide a balance because Joe Biden is chairman of the foreign relations committee. So that's going to help Obama when it comes to battling the argument that he is light on foreign relations. But at the same time, though, once this news came out, we got word very early this morning, in fact a tape was delivered to CNN from the McCain campaign. It was an ad pretty much countering the choice by Obama. Using Biden's very own words.
HOLMES: And that will be a criticism for quite some time. Because he has not been known as the guy to mince words. He says exactly what's on his mind and that gets him in trouble sometimes. People will tell you. It looks like people are getting out of the way here now. Maybe this, he is done saying hello to folks and maybe this motorcade will get on its way. But, yes, Senator Joe Biden, again, I'm told he'll be coming out shortly. I hear you right there, Joe. He's going to be coming out shortly. Or leaving shortly. And in the SUV. Leaving his home finally. But again, he's got to make his way to Springfield, Illinois. He needs to be there within the next few hours because he's making his first campaign appearance but this is the shot that we've been waiting on. Many reporters have been waiting on for quite some time and now you can see, fans of his. A lot of folks who are excited, finally, that the ticket is set. This is a process that's been going on for a couple of months. Obama looking for his running mate but really got intense with speculation over the past couple of weeks or so with a lot of guessing games and a lot of -- really, he moved to the top of the list, if you will, many thought publicly but there is one SUV. This is the one that the door swung open. Tinted windows in the back, can't make out who might have been sitting there.
NGUYEN: Hard to see exactly which one he could be in. But a lot of buzz did start surrounding Biden especially after he returned this week from a two-day trip to the republic of Georgia after Russian troops invaded there. That perked a lot of hears and eyes to Biden and the possibility that he could indeed be the pick by Obama. Again, we're watching this motorcade as it leaves Biden's home there in Greenville, Delaware, which is near Wilmington. And it appears they will be heading to Springfield, Illinois, which is very historic in nature in itself, but it's also historic in a sense that it's a the very place where Senator Obama announced and launched this campaign some 19 months ago for -- so for them to step out today at 3:00 p.m. eastern time as the democratic ticket is going to be quite a sight. I don't know, these folks obviously probably won't make it in time but I understand from our Jessica Yellin who is on the ground there in Springfield, Illinois, that some 2,000 or so people are expected at that announcement today, 3:00 p.m. eastern and of course CNN will bring it to you live.
HOLMES: And after he makes a stop in Springfield, he has to make his way to our Wolf Blitzer. Senator Joe Biden does because that is where the Democratic National Convention starts up on Monday and of course now Senator Joe Biden has a prime speaking spot on Wednesday. Wolf, he has now left Delaware. And for a heck of a week, he's going to have next week and his life is about to change in a major way.
BLITZER: He's heading over to the airport in Wilmington. He'll be flying to Springfield, T.J., and making his way to Springfield, where he and Senator Obama will be speaking. Gloria Borger, our senior political analyst is with me here in Denver. Gloria, you've been speaking with people who have actually spoken with Senator Biden. What's their impression? How's he reacting to this honor?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I spoke with someone who was told by Senator Biden last night at about 9:30 in the evening. He's close to Senator Biden. He said he was -- he was very gratified that Obama had placed his trust in him. He was also gratified that this process, which has really been ongoing for two months, has been really, really thorough, Wolf. That there were no leaks from the process. He is helping the senator work on his speech for today.
BLITZER: The big speech in Springfield.
BORGER: The big speech in Springfield and I was told of course he's going to talk about the challenges we face as a country but he's going to draw some distinctions between Barack Obama and John McCain. Starting to be the character witness, if you will, for Barack Obama, which is the vice presidential running mate's job. He's going to talk about, and I'm quoting here, "Why Barack Obama is the guy to deliver and why his friend, John McCain, is not." So clearly already today, starting to draw those distinctions.
BLITZER: And so we'll hear, sort of, more of an aggressive, if you will? Or a feisty tone from Senator Biden?
BORGER: Biden is always feisty. But he does it with a smile. And so -- and he's friends with John McCain.
BLITZER: Yes.
BORGER: Remember, they have traveled all over the world together over many years on congressional delegations. One thing I was also told, Wolf, by somebody in the Obama campaign is not to forget that Joe Biden is Barack Obama's chairman on foreign relations. And so their relationship has developed over the years that Obama has been in the senate and that Obama really grew to admire and respect Joe Biden.
BLITZER: And briefly, Gloria, as much as we're going to focus in on this democratic ticket today, there's another story that will play out in the coming days here in Denver. How the Hillary Clinton supporters work together with the Barack Obama supporters and try to emerge from this convention unified because they're not unified yet.
BORGER: You know I think, if this vice presidential choice had been somebody with little national experience, such as a Tim Kaine, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia, I think that you would have heard a lot more from the Clinton campaign. But Hillary Clinton, as you saw, released a statement today in praise of Joe Biden. She's a friend of Joe Biden's. And so I think this choice may help to sort of quash a bunch of that among Clinton supporters. And don't forget, she's getting a big speech. Bill Clinton's getting a big speech. She's going to get a roll call vote. They got some concessions in the platform for Hillary Clinton. So the Obama people are hoping, by the end of this convention, they can all lead together as one big team. We'll see.
BLITZER: It's a big challenge. BORGER: It is.
BLITZER: We'll see what they do. We'll be talking a lot about that and we're going to continue our coverage here at the democratic convention. And T.J. and Betty, will also, as you obviously know, will be going to Springfield for that big roll out, 3:00 p.m. eastern when the two met on the democratic ticket make their first joint appearance. I'll send it back to you guys.
NGUYEN: Yeah, a lot of major political news today and that's the sight of one of them, Springfield, Illinois. We have you covered right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. It doesn't stop here. There's a lot more to come and you don't want to miss it.
HOLMES: Brianna Keilar sitting in for Fredricka Whitfield. She's coming your way in just a couple of minutes. Thank you for hanging with us for the past several hours this morning.
NGUYEN: Six hours.
HOLMES: We'll see you again soon.
