Biden unloads on McCain

DENVER — Democrats and the country got an early look at their ticket when Barack Obama, just hours after being officially nominated to be the Democratic presidential candidate, joined his vice presidential pick, Sen. Joseph Biden, onstage Wednesday night promising to “take America back.”

Obama strolled casually onto the stage following Biden’s (D-Del.) remarks, after a brief introduction from Biden’s wife, Jill, who notified the crowd that they were about to receive a “surprise guest.” The massed delegates erupted in delight and exchanged their red “Biden” signs for white ones reading, “Obama-Biden.”

{mosads}The nominee’s appearance was unexpected until late in Biden’s speech, which was a combination of intense criticism of Republican rival John McCain and praise for the Democrats’ new leader.

The elder senator tried to share some of his perceived blue-collar bona fides with Obama, referring to him at one point as “the great American story.”

“Barack Obama and I took very different journeys to this destination, but we share a common story,” Biden said.

Biden’s personal story about the loss of his first wife and daughter in a car accident, told by way of a video introduction and by his son Beau, moved many in the crowd to tears, including Michelle Obama, the nominee’s wife.

But the tears turned to excitement as Biden criticized the Bush administration and McCain’s policies on both the economy and foreign policy.

Biden listed what he sees as the shortcomings of McCain’s vision, repeating the refrain: “That’s not change. That’s more of the same.”

At one point, Biden said “George” instead of “John,” excusing it as a “Freudian slip.” And he used a key theme of Obama’s, saying that it was the Illinois senator’s opposition to the war in Iraq that showed good judgment, not McCain’s call to war.

“John McCain was wrong,” Biden said several times. “Barack Obama was right.”

While the Delaware senator did talk about how he and McCain are good friends and he praised the Arizona Republican’s service, Biden said that “these times require more than a good soldier — they require a wise leader.”

“A leader who can deliver change,” Biden said, “the change everybody knows we need. Barack Obama will deliver that change.”

{mospagebreak}Obama, who arrived in Denver on Wednesday afternoon, is scheduled to accept the nomination formally at Invesco Field on Thursday night in front of more than 76,000 people.

While the Illinois senator said he thinks the “convention has been going pretty good so far,” early parts of the week were dominated by stories of Democratic infighting between supporters of Obama and those of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.).

The Clintons — Sen. Clinton on Tuesday and Bill Clinton on Wednesday night — delivered what were regarded as stellar speeches that forcefully delivered a message of party unity.

{mosads}Both Biden and Obama on Wednesday night applauded the Clintons’ contributions this week and in the past.

Biden referred to the former president as “a man who I think brought the country so far along that I only pray that we do it again.” He said Sen. Clinton is “a woman who has not only made history but will continue to make history.”

The McCain campaign responded that the kind of leadership Biden described could only be provided by McCain.

“Joe Biden is right: We need more than a good soldier, we need a leader with the experience and judgment to serve as commander in chief from day one,” McCain spokesman Ben Porritt said in a statement. “That leader is John McCain. We need a leader who understands that you don’t vote against funding for troops in harm’s way. We need a leader who supports victory in Iraq, and doesn’t try to legislate failure. We need a leader who understands that when a democracy is invaded, the response is to stand by their side, not call on them to show restraint.”

Porritt, as the McCain campaign has done vigorously since Obama tapped Biden to be his running mate, turned the Delaware senator’s words against him and Obama, noting not for the first time that Biden was critical of the Illinois senator’s lack of experience and publicly skeptical of his readiness to lead.

“On all these issues during this campaign, Americans have seen with their own eyes what Joe Biden has repeatedly made clear — Barack Obama does not have the judgment or experience to be president of the United States,” Porritt said.