veep contender #1: biden

The first in an occasional series: bite-size sketches of potential vice-presidential picks. First up, Joe Biden, a possible running-mate for Obama.

Biden is 66, and one of the longest serving Senators on the Hill. He became internationally famous in 1987 when he had to withdraw from a presidential run after being caught plagiarizing the speech of an obscure European politician called Neil Kinnock. He claims this saved his life because it gave him time to get his headaches seen to: he was diagnosed as having an aneurysm that required immediate surgery.

Since then he's rebuilt his career and his credibility, becoming one of Washington's foremost experts on foreign policy (he's now Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee), and is well-regarded by colleagues in both parties. He made a third and final run for the presidency this time around, but was rather overshadowed by the top three and dropped out after Iowa.

PLUSES

- He balances Obama's youth with experience, particularly in the arena of foreign policy.

- A traditional role of VP is attack dog, and Obama, who likes to stay positive, needs one more than most. Biden can attack with wit and credibility, a valuable skill. He has unimpeachable credentials on national security, and is capable of drawing blood when he attacks McCain on those issues in particular (note his outraged savaging of Bush over the president's 'appeaser' comments the other day).

- He has working class, Irish Catholic roots and can reach out to the sort of voters Obama has difficulties with.

- At his best, he's a compelling communicator with an ear for the ringing phrase. He delivered the funniest line of the campaign so far in an early debate, saying of Rudy Giuliani - then the GOP front-runner - that "There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun, a verb, and 9/11".

MINUSES

- He is a naturally garrulous fellow, and his mouth can run several yards ahead of his brain. He provided one of the unintentionally hilarious moments of the campaign season when, in the opening press conference of his candidacy he said: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, I mean, that's a storybook, man." Obama did not take offence for being congratulated on his hygiene, and Biden's campaign, despite nearly imploding immediately, staggered onwards. But it reminded everyone that he can be a bit of a liability.

- If Obama's campaign is all about 'new politics' and changing the old Washington ways, how credible is it for him to have a Senator who was first elected at the height of Richard Nixon's popularity on the ticket?