McCain Campaign: What They're Saying About Obama-Biden

"The Candidate Of Change Went With The Status Quo":

The Associated Press's Ron Fournier: "The Candidate Of Change Went With The Status Quo." "The candidate of change went with the status quo. ... He picked a 35-year veteran of the Senate -- the ultimate insider -- rather than a candidate from outside Washington..." (Ron Fournier, "Analysis: Biden Pick Shows Lack Of Confidence," The Associated Press, 8/23/08)
· Fournier: "[B]iden is anything but a change agent, having been in office longer than half of all Americans have been alive." (Ron Fournier, "Analysis: Biden Pick Shows Lack Of Confidence," The Associated Press, 8/23/08)

ABC's Jake Tapper: "The Freshman Senator Selected As His Running Mate A Six-Term Senate Institution..." "Obama is running on the slogan change we can believe in, but the freshman senator selected as his running mate a six-term senate institution, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware." (ABC's "Good Morning America," 8/23/08)

· ABC's Jake Tapper: Biden Taking Lobbyist Money "A Direct Contradiction Of The Obama Message." "Obama may decry lobbyist cash (or at least federal lobbyist cash), but Biden has taken $344,400 from lobbyists since 1997 -- making lobbyists the 10th biggest contributing industry. That seems a direct contradiction of the Obama message." (Jake Tapper, "Obama Decries Lobbyist Cash; Biden Has Reaped It In," ABC News, 8/23/08)

Los Angeles Times: "Biden Is A Washington Insider." "At the same time, as a 36-year Senate veteran, Biden is a Washington insider, an image that is at odds with the theme of change Obama has promoted." (Stuart Silverstein And Johanna Neuman, "Biden's The Pick, Sources Confirm," Los Angeles Times, 8/23/08)

· McClatchy Newspapers: Biden Is "A Washington Insider." "The decision to go with Biden, 65, a Washington insider, over a younger politician with a lesser known national profile, such as Obama's friend Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, reflects how tight the contest is between Obama and Republican John McCain." (Margaret Talev and David Lightman, "Obama names Sen. Joe Biden as his vice-presidential pick," McClatchy Newspapers, 8/23/08)

· New York Post's Charles Hurt: "Biden Is A Consummate Washington Insider." "On the downside, Biden is a consummate Washington insider. He was first elected to the Senate in 1973 at the age of 29 and plagiarism charges forced him from the 1988 presidential contest." (Charles Hurt, "Joe Biden Wins The Veepstakes," New York Post, 8/23/08)

CNN's Candy Crowley: "Well, the downside is, this is a campaign of change, who is selecting -- which is selecting a man who's been in the Senate for over three decades. There is that." (CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," 8/22/08)

Real Clear Politics' Tom Bevan: "Biden has been in the United States Senate for 36 years -- he was elected in 1972, the year Barack Obama turned eleven -- making him, for better or worse, a quintessential Washington insider." (Tom Bevan, "Obama Goes With Biden," Time's "The Real Clear Politics" Blog, time-blog.com, 8/23/08)

Biden Pick Only Highlights Obama's Inexperience:

The Associated Press' Ron Fournier: "[T]here's the 2007 ABC interview in which Biden said he would stand by an earlier statement that Obama was not ready to serve as president. It seems Obama is worried that some voters are starting to agree." (Ron Fournier, "Analysis: Biden Pick Shows Lack Of Confidence," The Associated Press, 8/23/08)

Newsweek's Howard Fineman: "[Obama] All But Confessed His Lack Of Knowledge Of Foreign Affairs By Selecting As His Running Mate The Senate's Senior Democratic Leader On That Topic." (Howard Fineman, "No Ordinary Joe: The Politics Of The Veep Pick--And What He Brings To The Party," Newsweek, 8/23/08)

Real Clear Politics' Tom Bevan: "He wanted someone who could reinforce his message of change, but he needed someone with experience." (Tom Bevan, "Obama Goes With Biden," Time's "The Real Clear Politics" Blog, time-blog.com, 8/23/08)

· Bevan: "[O]bama has spent the last 2 years discounting the experience of folks in the Bush administration, discounting the experience of Hillary Clinton, and now discounting the experience of John McCain by saying that what matters is judgment, not the number of years someone has spent in Washington. Obama's pick belies that notion, especially since the core of Obama's 'judgment' argument centers on his opposing the Iraq war from the beginning. Joe Biden voted for the Iraq war." (Tom Bevan, "Obama Goes With Biden," Time's "The Real Clear Politics" Blog, time-blog.com, 8/23/08)

Political Weakness Leads To New, Negative Obama:

The Associated Press' Ron Fournier: "For All His Self-Confidence, The 47-Year-Old Illinois Senator Worried That He Couldn't Beat Republican John McCain Without Help From A Seasoned Politician Willing To Attack." "The picks say something profound about Obama: For all his self-confidence, the 47-year-old Illinois senator worried that he couldn't beat Republican John McCain without help from a seasoned politician willing to attack. The Biden pick is the next logistical step in an Obama campaign that has become more negative -- a strategic decision that may be necessary but threatens to run counter to his image." (Ron Fournier, "Analysis: Biden Pick Shows Lack Of Confidence," The Associated Press, 8/23/08)

· Fournier: "A senior Obama adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his boss has expressed impatience with what he calls a 'reverence' inside his campaign for his message of change and new politics. In other words, Obama is willing -- even eager -- to risk what got him this far if it gets him to the White House." (Ron Fournier, "Analysis: Biden Pick Shows Lack Of Confidence," The Associated Press, 8/23/08)

Time Magazine: "It's a measure of how badly the last month has gone for the once high-flying Obama campaign that they're willing to risk taking on board a shoot-from-the-lip running mate like Biden." (Massimo Calabresi, "Behind Obama's Bet on Biden," Time Magazine, 8/23/08)

The New York Times: "Mr. Obama's choice of Mr. Biden suggested some of the weaknesses the Obama campaign is trying to address at a time when national polls suggest that his race with Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, is tightening." (Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny, "Obama Chooses Biden as Running Mate," New York Times, 8/23/08)

The Washington Post: "As the Associated Press's Ron Fournier noted in an analysis this morning, picking Biden shows that Obama and his team are concerned that questions of whether the Illinois senator is ready for the job have the potential to be politically dangerous." (Chris Cillizza, "Analysis: What Biden's Pick Means," Washington Post's "The Fix" Blog, 8/23/08)

Off-Message:

Time's Mark Halperin: "[O]ne quality that has afflicted Biden for as long as anyone can remember: a persistent tendency to say silly, offensive, and off-putting things." (Mark Halperin, "Halperin On Biden: The Pros And The Cons," Time, 8/23/08)

· Time's Mark Halperin: "The central mystery for those who have watched Biden over the years is this: how could someone so smart, experienced, and articulate be his own worst enemy by saying just the wrong thing at just the wrong moment?" (Mark Halperin, "Halperin On Biden: The Pros And The Cons," Time, 8/23/08)

The Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody: "Biden's Good For A Good, Let's Call It Five Gaffes Before November 4th If It's Biden Here We Go Again." "I mean if the Obama campaign, when they knew this pick was coming, they realized, Biden's good for a good, let's call it five gaffes before November 4th. They know this. They understand this. They're willing to take that risk, if it's Biden here we go again." (CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," 8/22/08)

CNN's Jessica Yellin: "The big other problem is that Biden has had a tendency to make gaffes on the trail, he's not always very disciplined." (CNN's "CNN Saturday Morning News," 8/23/08)

Newsweek's Howard Fineman: "He can't keep his mouth shut. Sometimes he talks before thinking. He is not always a systematic thinker. He loves to hear himself talk. He can get carried away with his enthusiasms." (Howard Fineman, "No Ordinary Joe: The Politics Of The Veep Pick--And What He Brings To The Party," Newsweek, 8/23/08)

[New York] Daily News: Biden "Veers Wildly Off Message." "But he can also be a motormouth who veers wildly off message. Even he admits to his tendency to 'bloviate.'" (Michael Saul, "Foreign policy? Joe Biden's no schmo," New York Daily News, 8/23/08)

Politico: "But while Biden, 65, made strides during the primary season on curbing his legendary penchant for leaving no thought unspoken, those who have watched him -- and listened to him -- over the years know the Obama team will spend some sleepless nights wondering what he might say at any given moment." (Carrie Budoff Brown and Bill Nichols, "The Ticket: Obama-Biden," Politico, 8/23/08)
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