Sunday Snapshot -- Denver, Gorgeous!

All the Sunday shows shot on location in Denver and focused on Barack Obama's choice of Joe Biden as VP.

Obama strategist David Axelrod, asked if the camp decided that adding another change candidate was "simply too risky": "He picked Joe Biden because he felt Joe Biden was the best partner for him. Joe Biden is a guy who obviously is accomplished and knowledgeable. ... He's an independent guy who will tell the president what he needs to know, even if he doesn't want to hear it. ... That's what you want in a vice president. But mostly, I think what attracted Senator Obama was Biden's wisdom. And not the kind of wisdom you get in Washington, D.C., but the kind of wisdom you get when you overcome adversity, tragedy in your life as he has; the kind of wisdom you get in the working class communities of Scranton, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware, where he's lived all his life. He's never lived a day in Washington, D.C." ("This Week," ABC, 8/24).

Obama VP vetter Caroline Kennedy, asked if Biden was at the top of her list: "Of course. Well he would be at the top of any list, right?" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 8/24).

Obama comm. dir. Robert Gibbs: "I think this choice says a lot about the judgment of Senator Obama. He went through a very methodical, pragmatic process. He listened to a lot of people. He talked to each of these candidates several times and came to what I think was a very good choice. He picked somebody who has unparalleled expertise on foreign policy, somebody who will help him rebuild the economy, put people back to work, make our country independent of energy. But I think, you know, Senator Joe Biden's personal story has been tested many, many times by personal crises. He's somebody that works in Washington but doesn't live there, and I think that says a lot about him -- doesn't forget where he's from. ... We're comfortable with our pick. We had a lot of great choices and we talked to a lot of different people. But I think we settled on a great pick and a great partnership to bring about change in this country."

After the jump, more Biden, short listers speak out and McCain's new ads.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Gibbs, asked if Biden helps with voters' concerns about Obama's experience: "I think Senator Biden, again, has unparalleled foreign policy experience. And I think if you look at not just what was said yesterday by Democrats about this pick, but look what was said by Republicans. Senator Dick Lugar of Indiana, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Chuck Hagel, an unparalleled expert on defense policy, Senator Arlen Specter, another Republican, this time from Pennsylvania all spoke very highly of the choice of Joe Biden."

Fox's Wallace: "But what about change? Joe Biden has actually been in the halls of Congress 10 years longer than John McCain has. So this whole message about change ... doesn't that go out the window?"

Gibbs: "No, because again, as I said to you earlier, Joe Biden works in Washington but he doesn't live there. Every night, he goes home on an Amtrak train, where he knows the names of the conductors, to his wife and family in Delaware."

Gibbs, on Biden being on the record repeatedly questioning Obama's experience and judgment: "Obviously, you can pull up a lot of quotes from August when these two guys were running against each other. But ... if you look at the statements just recently, Joe Biden says ... Barack Obama has the judgment, the intellect and the spine of steel to lead this country in a different direction."

Wallace: "Joe Biden talks too much. He was known during the John Roberts Supreme Court hearing for asking what many believe to be the single longest question in the history of the Senate. Has Obama or has someone on your staff talked to Joe about keeping it quiet?"

Gibbs: "On occasion he's asked long questions. I think he'd probably plead guilty to that. ... I think that may be something that a lot of them are guilty of. But look, we didn't hire him for his stunning good looks. We hired him for his judgment to lead this country if something happens to Barack Obama, and the judgment and the advice that he'll give the next president of the United States, and we think we've got a fabulous pick" ("Fox News Sunday," 8/24).

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, asked if Biden is a card-carrying member of the Dem establishment because he has been in the Senate for 35 years: "I don't think so. First of all, let me say it's an excellent choice. It's a real sign of the leadership of Senator Obama that he would choose Senator Biden, recognizing the issues of the day are the economic and personal security of the American people. ... It isn't a question of what Senator Obama needs. He's the full package. He has great judgment and knowledge and can draw upon expertise. This is what brings balance and brings reinforcement. Anyone who knows Senator Biden knows that he is a disrupter. This is not your standard Washington fare. This is a person, a senator who goes home every night, lucky for him, to Delaware. This is a person who has challenged the status quo. And he's even criticized Senator Obama, so it's a tribute to Senator Obama that he's not just choosing a 'yes man,' but a person who will speak what he believes" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 8/24).

HURT SO GOOD?

There was talk about whether Biden will hurt or help the ticket. Let's start with the bad:

Rudy Giuliani: "Joe is a friend of mine ... and [I] have great respect for him. I just think that this is a problem for Senator Obama more than anything else, not for Joe Biden. Senator Obama has made a choice more out of weakness than strength. It's quite clear from all of the commentaries, all of the things I've heard from Democrats in particular. The strong choice would have been Hillary Clinton. The obvious choice would have been Hillary Clinton. She had 50 percent of the Democratic vote. Obama has 50 percent of the Democratic vote. You almost have to go to extraordinary lengths to avoid her as the vice presidential pick of the party. And it seems to me that for whatever reason that hasn't been explained, a choice was made out of weakness than strength. You know don't go with your strongest candidate, and then go with a candidate that actually emphasizes all your weaknesses and has been quite vocal about them" ("This Week," ABC, 8/24).

And the good:

CNN's Blitzer: "The Republicans keep saying that the fact that Senator Obama had to bring Joe Biden in underscores his vulnerability that he doesn't have the national security, the foreign policy experience to be commander in chief. And the fact that Biden is there on the ticket right now reaffirms that. I wonder if you want to respond."

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI): "Oh, I think it shows to me just the opposite. It shows that Barack Obama is someone who is prepared to bring into his administration talented people from all walks of life that will be able to help him move forward, but it will be clear that he will be the president. I had the privilege of being with him to visit with President Karzai in Afghanistan, with Prime Minister Maliki in Iraq, and I saw in both cases a very firm, very determined, very articulate spokesperson, or representative, who could deliver a message, a tough message in both cases. He was urging our allies to do much more, and they should do much more. And I think he's type of person, through his intellect and his temperament, that can bring in strong, forceful and experienced people, but be clearly the leader, clearly the president, clearly the one who will mark the course for this country going forward" ("Late Edition," CNN, 8/24).

VA Gov. Tim Kaine (D), asked "what, if anything," Biden can do in VA: "Joe comes from a state, Delaware, that borders Virginia. The eastern shore part of Virginia and Delaware are not only bordering but very, very similar. And I think there's a lot in common, and Joe understands that. Virginia's a very military state. ... Joe's long track record on foreign relations matters, strong support for the military, but strong support for America being great at the diplomacy area, will go over very well in Virginia. And I think he's a heart guy. I mean, as he campaigns, he's a great retail campaigner who really connects with people on a visceral level, and Virginians like that. And so I think the pick of Joe Biden will do very well in Virginia."

Kaine, asked if Biden blunts the message of change: "If you look at what Joe's done as a senator, he's done some things that I think will resonate well with Virginians and others. ... He's got a solid record of accomplishment. And I think they're a good team personality- wise. They complement each other well. I think you're going to see them really enjoying being out on the trail together."

Kaine, asked if Biden can solve Obama's weakness on nat'l security and experience: "Yes. ... I'm just using a Joe Biden line. As you remember, you know, I'm going to answer a question with a 'yes.' Look, Joe's got a great track record, and Barack's got a record of being right on the critical issues. I mean, we've got judgment. We've got experience. We fuse them together in one ticket" ("Fox News Sunday," 8/24).

CO Gov. Bill Ritter (D): "I think it was a smart choice because Joe Biden does have the experience to, number one, be president. He could be president on day one, and secondly, really, because he has this national security and, really, foreign relations background. We're in a challenging time. Everybody knows that. It's good to have a vice president that can complement the president, fill the ticket out and say, 'We can rise to the challeng'" ("Fox News Sunday," 8/24).

Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA): "I think this is a very strong ticket not only for Pennsylvania, but for the country. And historically, Pennsylvania has always been close, so we expect a close race. But I think Senator Obama and Senator Biden together form a very strong team, a strong team that understands the struggles that people are facing in this economy, and I think that will be a strong message for the people of Pennsylvania" ("Late Edition," CNN, 8/24).

EVEN THE LOSERS GET COVERAGE SOMETIMES

Pols on the short list made the rounds to talk about not being chosen.

Kaine, asked when he found out that Obama was not going to pick him: "You know, I'm not going to talk about my conversations with the campaign about this. I will say it was really flattering to be mentioned. It always seemed like kind of a longshot to me, but it was really, really nice to be mentioned. ... I think Joe Biden, with the state of the race and the state of the world, was a great choice for Senator Obama."

Fox's Wallace: "Honestly, are you disappointed?"

Kaine: "Well, you know, I told you, my wife said after I found out, 'Remember, you've been elected to the highest office in the land. You're my husband.' And so, you know, that was good. That put it in perspective. So I know who hail to the chief is, too" ("Fox News Sunday," 8/24).

CNN's Blitzer, to Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN): "Let's talk a little bit about what it felt like when you got that call on Friday from Senator Barack Obama, and he informed you that you would not be his vice presidential running mate. Walk us through a little bit, because it's one of those experiences that very few people ever have, and you've had it."

Bayh: "Well, obviously, it's a life-changing moment. He had a lot of nice things to say about me, which I was very flattered by. I told him I was honored to be considered. I hope it reflected well upon both me and my state. And I believed in him, and I wanted to do whatever I could to help us change the direction of this country, to address the problems that middle-class families in states like mine are facing. And I thought Joe Biden was an excellent man and he could count on me to be helpful in any way that I could."

Bayh, asked if Obama said why he was picking Biden: "No. He just said that they were going to be going in a different direction, but he said that that was a reflection on other things than me. He said a number of things that would sound immodest if I recounted to you, so I'm not going to do that. But look, I really got to know Barack well during this process, and I've got a lot of confidence in his judgment and his ability to lead this country in a better direction. And I wholeheartedly support his decision. And as I said, it was an honor to be in that final two or three. You know, I don't think you'd be there unless they concluded you had a lot of positive things to offer and probably not too many negatives. ... I called Joe Biden yesterday morning, by the way, early in the morning, to congratulate him. I think he's going to be great, and let's go out and lead this country in a better direction" ("Late Edition," CNN, 8/24).

And there was a ton of dicussion about whether Hillary Clinton was even considered for the spot:

House Maj. Whip James Clyburn (D-SC): "Well, if my memory serves, not long after the primary process was over, Barack Obama sat down with Hillary Clinton. They had a very long and I think productive meeting. Remember they meet even before she went out on the trail. ... Who knows what they talked about in that meeting. Even Dianne Feinstein left the room and left the two of them alone. So I think it's a little but presumptuous on the part of anybody to say they never discussed this because I do believe that they discussed it very well" ("Late Edition," CNN, 8/24).

Ritter, asked if Clinton supporters have a right to be angry that she was never interviewed about being a running mate: "Well, I think that's going to be the role of the convention, is to really be a unifying time for the ticket. If you think about the allowance of putting Hillary Clinton's name into play, have her name placed on the floor, that's really a concession in many respects, but it's an acknowledgment of her historic campaign. And I think it will have a unifying effect" ("Fox News Sunday," 8/24).

Kaine, on Clinton supporters: "I think they're going to be won over not by that but they're going to be won over by the Clintons' appearance this week and what they say. I just have a feeling this week's going to be very good, and both Senator Clinton and President Clinton are going to say, 'Let's do all we can to make change in this nation. ... My anecdotal evidence is, just hanging around with the Virginians who are strong Hillary Clinton supporters, they're getting on board."

Kaine, asked if Clinton was disrespected in not even being interviewed to be a running mate: "I don't -- no, I couldn't say that. Look, this is such a personal choice. However the Obama campaign kind of determines that they need to run the process, who they need to look at, it's got to be something that is just that fit that only the candidate can know. So, yeah, nobody who's not picked is disrespected. You know, it's fine" ("Fox News Sunday," 8/24).

Gibbs, asked why Clinton wasn't interviewed: "I'm not going to get into the process of how these guys were picked. We're fortunate to have the support of Hillary Clinton. ... I think Clinton supporters are united in the thing that unites all of the people in this convention. We need change. We can't have more of the same" ("Fox News Sunday," 8/24).

Axelrod, on reports Obama didn't have "a serious conversation" with Clinton about the VP spot: "Very few people know, actually, what transpired during this process. But I can tell you, the first person that he sat down and talked to at all about this vice presidential issue was Senator Clinton. They had a discussion back in early June about it, and he spent more time with Senator Clinton alone, talking about issues than he has with Joe Biden or anyone else in the last couple of months. So that's simply not true."

Axelrod, asked why Obama didn't pick Clinton: "Look, he has a high regard for Senator Clinton. ... She's going to be an important voice in moving this country forward in the next administration. But he felt that Senator Biden would be the best fit for him at this time, for the reasons that I mentioned earlier. And I was pleased that Senator Clinton gave such a robust endorsement to Senator Biden as the nominee yesterday" ("This Week," ABC, 8/24).

PA Gov. Ed Rendell (D), asked if an Obama-Clinton ticket would have been better: "Well, I think they'd both be good tickets, for different reasons. Both Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton are ready to be president of the United States tomorrow. They're both extremely well-qualified and experienced. ... Hillary Clinton obviously has a longer relationship with a broader spectrum of voters, women voters, who have been following her for a long time. But Joe Biden's going to grow on the American people very fast because he's a tremendously engaging guy, a tremendously bright guy, and a guy who's, sort of, Harry Truman-like. He tells it like it is" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 8/24).

Pelosi, asked if it was a mistake for Obama not to select Clinton: "I think that Senator Obama chose the vice presidential candidate that brought balance to his ticket. It's his choice. We're going into the future" ("Meet the Press," NBC, 8/24).

Reaction to John McCain's new ad featuring Clinton's past negative statements about Obama:

Obama adviser Anita Dunn: "John McCain has a woman's problem, and here's his woman's problem: that he is to the right of George Bush when it comes to a woman's right to choose. He opposes a woman's right to choose, even in cases of rape and incest. He opposed the Pay Equity Act. He's so out of touch that he actually doesn't understand that there are cases that women are paid less than men and need judicial remedy. John McCain has a woman's problem. And at the end of the week, what you're going to see is a united Democratic Party. Senator Clinton has made it very clear who her pick is and who her choice is here" ("Late Edition," CNN, 8/24).

Gibbs: "They know that that ad is demonstrably false. They know that Hillary Clinton is supporting Barack Obama" ("Fox News Sunday," 8/24).

Axelrod: "On that clip, let me tell you, this last week, the McCain campaign leaked the name of Governor Romney as a potential running mate. And you better clear your whole show next week because you could fill your whole show with the nasty things that John McCain and Mitt Romney said about each other just a few months ago" ("This Week," ABC, 8/24).

KS Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D): "Women across this country are going to be introduced to the second real champion for women on the Democratic ticket. Barack has an incredibly strong record and incredibly compelling life story. Raised by a single mom; his grandmother married to this bright and beautiful and talented woman, and the father of two young daughters. There's no way he is going to forget about women's issues. ... There's no question Hillary Clinton has served with both these men. She chose Barack Obama. This ad is a bit disingenuous, I would say, suggesting somehow that John McCain would get the support of her or her supporters" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 8/24).

Rendell: "This ad will have a three-day life span. When Hillary Clinton speaks on Wednesday night, she will blow this ad out of the water" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 8/24).

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL): "This is a clever effort by McCain to divide Democrats at our convention, but I assure you we're going to leave here stronger and more unified" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 8/24).

Dem strategist James Carville, on whether the money spent on the ad was money well spent: "I don't blame them for trying, but the simple message to the women who voted for Hillary Clinton is, if you like the last eight years under George W. Bush, you're going to love the next four under John McCain. Let's be honest, it's the most disastrous presidency that we've had in modern American history. John McCain has said there's no significant issue that he disagrees with George W. Bush on. In the end, these folks are not going to vote for a continuation of the policies of this administration. Period. And that's what the Obama camp needs to spend less time worrying about keeping the Clintons out of their campaign, and more time worried about how you put Bush in the middle of it" ("Late Edition," CNN, 8/24).

GONE IN 60 MINUTES

In GOP veepstakes news, Giuliani was was asked if a pro-choice running mate would depress the base.

Giuliani: "No. What I want John to select is the best possible candidate. And I think John has a strong record on being pro-life -- 100 percent. ... You couldn't have a candidate that's more committed to appointing judges like Roberts, like Scalia. ... These are judges that Biden voted against. ... Those are the things that are going to bring conservatives around. And, of course, he's going to select a conservative. John is a conservative. He always has been."

Giuliani, asked if he's been vetted: "I have not been, as far as I can tell. ... In the case of Hillary Clinton, they thought that she didn't need to be vetted, because it had been you know exposed so much. Various things about her life have been exposed so much. In my case, I think the same thing is true, although I'm not a candidate for vice president. But you can pretty much vet me in about 60 minutes ... by Googling me. ... It's down to three or four candidates. It is not me. I think the three or four are terrific. I have my own views on them, which I will deliver personally. But I think John has some really excellent choices" ("This Week," ABC, 8/24).

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), asked if McCain needs to pick a supporter of abortion rights to balance the GOP ticket if he is to win PA: "That's a touchy subject because the solid Republican base is necessary for Senator McCain to win, and there's a lot of concern about having somebody who is pro-choice. But bear this in mind, that John McCain has never been a trumpeter on the issue, never been outspoken. And Senator McCain is for embryonic stem cell research, so that Senator McCain himself presents a good balance. But I don't know what John McCain's going to do on a running mate. But he has to balance a lot of factors, and I think that there are other matters of concern to the suburban Philadelphia voters besides the pro-choice issue. And I think that McCain's independence will stand him in very good stead there" ("Late Edition," CNN, 8/24).

FAVORABLE FORECAST

Axelrod also commented on the convo.

ABC's Stephanopoulos: "There were a lot of complaints among Democrats four years ago that John Kerry and his team didn't do enough to lay out the contrast, didn't go after President Bush enough in their convention. How would you lay out what you're going to do this week? And should we expect to see a lot of contrast or more emphasis on biography of Barack Obama?"

Axelrod: "You were involved in the convention in 1992. That was somewhat similar in the sense that people didn't know Bill Clinton. The Republicans were doing what the Republicans do and tried to portray him as a sort of silver spoon ivy leaguer, when in fact he had a great American story, as Barack Obama does, the son of a single mother working his way up and then going back to work in communities that were failed by steel plant closings. We're going to tell that story, but we're also going to tell the story about what's happened to the country under the policies that we've seen under the broken politics of Washington. And we're going to talk about how we're going to change that. And so you know we're not going to shy away from making the contrast. People are making a choice. We need to make clear what that choice is. We're going to do it in a constructive way, but we're going to lay it out very, very clearly."

Axelrod, asked if the camp has pulled back on advertising in traditional GOP states: "Absolutely not. In fact, I think that you should pay attention to where we go down the line."

Axelrod, asked what kind of bounce the camp will receive from the convo: "I don't know what it'll be. I expect this is going to be a close election from now to the end. ... You know if I set my clock to the polls, I would have jumped off a high building a year ago when you were asking me about polls that showed us 30 points behind for the nomination. So I'm not going to concern myself."

Axelrod, asked what will happen if it rains during Obama's 8/28 speech: "I don't see any storm clouds on the horizon. I see nothing but clear sky for our convention and for the country, because I think people are going to make the right choice. So I'm not worried about the weather on Thursday. I think it's going to be fine" ("This Week," ABC, 8/24).

LIFE AS A HOUSE

And there continued to be talk of McCain not knowing how many houses he owns:

Specter: "John McCain has had a pretty rugged life. He has not exactly had a life with a silver spoon in his mouth. John McCain has experienced more personal adversity than anybody I know -- certainly anybody in the United States Senate. And I think he understands tough problems and the way to deal with them. I don't think anybody could ever fault John McCain about being able to deal with adversity and going through really a living hell, which is ... a lot more important than how many apartments your wife owns" ("Late Edition," CNN, 8/24).

Sebelius: "I think we have an opportunity with the candidate on the Republican side who is totally out of touch with what's happening across American towns and cities. People are in foreclosure. They're terrified they're going to lose their homes or they have already lost them. They are afraid they will never buy a home. We still don't have any idea how many homes John McCain owns. And I don't begrudge him seven, 10, whatever the number is, but I think it's an indication that he has no idea. He doesn't support the kind of foreclosure protection that Senator Obama has put forth. He doesn't support stabilizing this market. The middle class tax cut he's put forward is three times as big as John McCain's. Over and over and over again, he wants to help people restore the American dream. John McCain has lived the American dream, but he somehow doesn't feel that that should be opened up to all Americans" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 8/24).

Jackson Jr.: "This convention is about ensuring that John McCain does not get an eighth home. He has seven homes, that's enough. ... Could be 10. Well, we don't want an 11th home. We don't want him in the White House. He says he has seven kitchen tables. We don't want him to have an eighth kitchen table. ... When John McCain gets up in the morning and leaves his house to lock his door, he has to shuffle through a number of keys to figure out which key works in which door in which home he's at, at any given time. That suggests a significant disconnect between the average American, who is experiencing quite a different economy than the one John McCain has been advocating" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 8/24).

Washington Post's Balz: "We'd be counting a lot of homes if you had a McCain-Romney ticket. There's no question about that" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 8/24).

Axelrod: "We had a really enlightening moment this week when Senator McCain ... said the economy was fundamentally sound, and then later, when he was asked how many homes he owned, he couldn't come up with a number, couldn't keep track of the number of homes he owned. And so maybe that's why he thinks that we've made great progress and that we should continue these policies. But the American people don't" ("This Week," ABC, 8/24).

Giuliani, on the Obama camp attacking McCain for not knowing the number of homes he owns: "They both live in million dollar homes, so ... what is that about people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones? ... You're sort of not in a position to be pointing at other people, when you are in that one percent of America in terms of -- I mean how many people live in one million dollar homes? They both do. This is not going to be, I think, a fruitful way of going about it. And it's not the new politics that Senator Obama was talking about. ... Trying to convince the American people that John McCain is not a regular guy just isn't going to work" ("This Week," ABC, 8/24).

ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP

The "This Week" roundtable discussed Obama choosing Biden as his VP.

Time's Halperin, on how Biden will help Obama: "I think another thing that Biden brings, and we saw it on his speech on behalf of Barack Obama. He will be, along with Michelle Obama, a great testifier, on behalf of the story of Barack Obama: What he's done in his life and what he'll done as president. I think he'll be extraordinarily effective."

ABC's Stephanopoulos: "Not just a testifier. I mean, this was the announcement yesterday. He went off as if it were convention speech, the number of attacks against President Bush and Senator McCain."

Cokie Roberts: "Also, he kept saying 'Bush-McCain, Bush-McCain,' as if that were the ticket."

Halperin: "But also the positive message. You can't go overboard. And Joe Biden, part of Barack Obama's problem is the same problem ... that Bill Clinton had. He comes in here famous, but not well known."

Washington Post's Will, on how Obama's choice of Biden will effect McCain's VP pick: "We now have three sitting senators in this race. We've never in American history had two sitting senators run against each other. This would, I would think, give some reason for John McCain to pick someone from not on the floor of the senate."

Stephanopoulos: "You think it's Mitt Romney, right?"

Halperin: "I do, unless he changes his mind. I think that Michigan is the key of the whole election. I think John McCain can win this presidency with two combinations: The exact electoral votes that George Bush won, or Michigan" (ABC, 8/24).

The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed Biden.

Fox's Hume: "I don't think Joe Biden's selection does much to assuage the outrage that a lot of Hillary backers feel. Whether that will translate into some disaffection that lasts till election day among Hillary voters I think is very much an open question. ... Does Biden bring anything in terms of reaching out to voters beyond those that Obama might otherwise attract. On foreign policy, perhaps so, but on all the other range of issues he is virtually every bit as liberal as Obama is. This ticket, therefore, offers not very much to centrists and conservatives, and this is, after all, I think, still a center-right country."

Weekly Standard's Kristol, on Kaine: [Obama]'s given up an articulate younger spokesman with executive experience who would represent change to take a long-time serving senator with a lot of experience" (8/24).

The "Late Edition" roundtable discussed Biden.

CNN's Kurtz: "When news organizations do their big profiles of Joe Biden ... will they be digging for dirt? Will they, for example, recycle the 1987 plagiarism incident?"

CNN's Borger: "It's old news. It'll be down in the story towards the bottom of the story about the Neil Kinnock stuff and how Joe Biden went on and on and on at all the hearings for Supreme Court justices, and Joe Biden running for president twice. And what Obama emphasized, of course, was his biography, which all of us who covered him already know. So you know that can be discounted to a certain degree" (8/24).

The "Meet the Press" roundtable discussed Biden.

PBS' Ifill: "I'm not sure that Joe Biden needed to run across the stage yesterday. I'm not sure that was the best look for a 65-year-old man, but he was enthusiastic."

NBC pol. dir. Chuck Todd: "It's almost [Obama] hired himself a defense lawyer, and he said, 'I'm going to get him to defend me against some of these attacks. I'm going to have him go out and make the case against McCain a little bit, and I'm going to have him go out and sell my biography a little bit better because I don't do it very well.' And in one speech, Biden showed he can sell the biography of Obama better than Obama himself could" (NBC, 8/24).