WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama introduced Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate at a huge and boisterous rally in Springfield, Ill., on Saturday, revealing a choice that strengthens the Democratic ticket's credentials on foreign policy and provides Obama a hard-fighting partner as he heads into the fight with Sen. John McCain.
In Biden, Obama selected a six-term senator best known for his expertise on foreign affairs - Biden spent last weekend in Georgia as that nation engaged in a tense confrontation with Russia - but also his skills at political combat. Obama passed over other candidates who might have brought him a state or reinforced the message of change that has been central to his candidacy. At the rally outside the Old State Capitol where Obama announced his candidacy for the White House 20 months ago, Obama offered a passionate and politically instructive introduction of Biden: the portrait of a running mate who filled in what many Democrats have described as the political shortcomings of Obama.
Obama told the story of Biden's life. Son of a working-class Catholic family from Scranton, Pa., Biden, 65, was elected to the Senate in 1972 at 29. But tragedy struck …
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