In case you missed the 3 a.m. text from the Barack Obama campaign, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden is the Democratic Party’s candidate for vice president.  

I’m sure your first thought is, “Three a.m.!? WTF! Is that someone’s idea of a joke?” No — according to the Associated Press, word was leaked and, with the media already reporting the news, the campaign scrambled to play catchup and notify supporters who had been told they’d be the first to know.

I like this pick. Biden balances Obama’s ticket with years of experience in foreign affairs and international security accumulated over his more than three-decade career as a senator. That might not exactly fit with Obama’s “change”-themed campaign, but the advantages of adding Biden obviously were seen as outweighing that negative.

Biden will be labeled as one of the “most liberal” politicians in Washington by many conservatives, but the 65-year-old Catholic adds national recognition — he’s twice run for president — and could attract some much-needed East Coast, blue-collar votes to Obama’s side. He’s also known as a talker, which should make for some entertaining debates and help Obama counter criticism that he has not been tough enough in responding to attacks from Republican John McCain’s campaign.

It didn’t take McCain’s people long to launch the first shot in Biden’s direction. Watch this ad:  

Thoughts?

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