Inside look at Obama's "very personal" VP decision

NYT: In ‘Very Personal Decision,’ Aides Say Obama Picked a Partner in Leadership
By JEFF ZELENY and JIM RUTENBERG
Published: August 23, 2008

WASHINGTON — In the beginning, Senator Barack Obama was not entirely sold on Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. And Mr. Biden told friends that he was pessimistic of his chances of becoming Mr. Obama’s Democratic running mate. Over the course of two months, as the dynamics of the presidential campaign and world events shifted quickly, Mr. Biden’s stock rose through one of the most rigorous vice presidential vetting processes that Democrats could recall. It was a process in which Mr. Obama applied intense secrecy, careful pragmatism and political input from a team of internal and external advisers that have guided his campaign. And it ended Thursday night with a phone call from Mr. Obama giving Mr. Biden the news, as he was in a dentist’s waiting room....

“It’s a very personal decision,” said David Axelrod, the campaign’s chief strategist, in a brief interview Saturday. “He approached it in a very serious, sober and reasoned way.”

Mr. Obama reached the decision about 10 days ago while on a weeklong vacation to Hawaii. That week, Mr. Biden’s strengths in foreign policy were highlighted by the conflict between Russia and Georgia, giving his prospects a further boost. Associates of the other main possibility on Mr. Obama’s list, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, said Mr. Obama cited the situation in Georgia in breaking the news to Mr. Bayh on Friday that he had chosen Mr. Biden. But people involved in the process said it was not just foreign policy that tilted the balance. They said Mr. Obama’s political calculation has as much or more to do with the chance to capitalize on Mr. Biden’s appeal among white working-class voters and his compelling personal story....

Mr. Biden had some powerful patrons in his corner whose opinions Mr. Obama respected, like Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the vice chairman of the House Democratic caucus, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts — not only a respected Senate lion but, also, uncle to a senior member of Mr. Obama’s vetting team, Caroline Kennedy.

As the vetting team sorted through Mr. Biden’s financial statements, political statements and medical records, Mr. Obama’s top political aides — Mr. Axelrod chief among them — reached out to friends in Mr. Obama’s orbit to get a sense of what sort of politician Mr. Biden was. And as that process continued, the results belied Mr. Biden’s reputation: reports came back that he was not only potentially more energetic and disciplined than widely known, but also that he had a distinct appeal suited to the areas where Mr. Obama is weakest: white working class towns on the Northeast and Midwest.

But Mr. Obama was seeking a running mate with whom he would be comfortable governing with for four or eight years, a bit of advice Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts had given him....

In addition to the four ultimate finalists (Senator Biden, Senator Bayh, Virginia Gov. Kaine and Kansas Gov. Sebelius), Democratic officials said, Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut also were among those who received extensive consideration....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/us/politics/24deconstruct.html

Biden is the guy..yay.

Great article.

Thanks, DMM!

I wonder what it was - he seemed to perfect, to me. Hispanic vote - western vote - diplomat -
governor - big on alternate energy.