Announcement of VP selection yields mixed results from student population

The heat on Saturday did not stop people from gathering in front of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., where Barack Obama officially introduced Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate in the 2008 presidential election.

Biden, the seasoned Democrat, is known to many of his fellow Congressmen as a tough debater and well-informed politician. Barack Obama said Biden was the kind of man and leader that he wants beside him for the future.

Students across campus tuned in to watch their speeches on television Saturday afternoon, and while many were pleased with Obama's choice, some had mixed feelings. Albert Zhang Gaoxiang, a junior in Business, said Obama's speech was powerful and strengthened his campaign.

"I liked the fact that Biden wants to put the country back in shape and not be about getting all the credit," he said. "I don't see how he can lose now with all of Biden's experience."

Biden is a foreign policy expert as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has more than three decades of political experience in Washington, about 10 more years than GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain and almost double that of Obama.

Obama said Biden was an outspoken critic of President Bush's political approach. At the rally, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said choosing Biden as the vice presidential running mate makes Obama's candidacy more potent and effective.

"With a man like Biden to advise Obama, Barack can look toward what needs to be done," Durbin said. "And people want to know about tomorrow."

Constance Dukes, senior in LAS and president of LAS Council, agreed and said the Democratic campaign is now more solid.

"Biden really fills in all the political holes that the Democratic campaign was missing," she said. "I think he was a really good choice."

Biden has criticized Obama's candidacy in the past, pointing out his lack of experience. The president's job is not to begin learning, he added.

Biden's experience has led many, including sophomore Megan Schaefer in Media to believe the Republican party will probably continue smear campaigning.

"I think the Republicans will try to smear Biden, even though they won't have much to really say that's legit," she said. "Some will also say that Obama should have chosen Hillary or say Biden is the old politics that Obama is talking about stopping. But in the end, Obama made a great decision."

Old versus new politics has been the main controversy behind Obama's campaign. Many political experts said choosing 65-year-old Biden, 13 years Obama's senior, will compensate for his lack of experience, which eliminates one of the Republican party's main advantages.

"(Biden's) known for being very well-versed in foreign affairs and I would think (Obama) wanted somebody who could bring experience to the table," said Chika Umeadi, junior in LAS. "And it's not flip-flopping because Obama will be a better president with Biden by his side because Biden will probably be very active out of the public eye."

Ross Good, junior in LAS, received a text message, sent by the Obama campaign Saturday morning, officially announcing Obama's vice president and said he was looking forward to seeing the vice presidential debate.

"We all have been told that Sen. Biden is a great debater, so it will be interesting to see who the Republicans have," he said.

Both Umeadi and Jeff Swada, junior in ACES, said they believe Mitt Romney will be the Republican vice president choice.

"Mitt Romney was the most popular Republican I think," Swada said. "So when Obama needed someone with experience to cover what he lacks, McCain will get the popularity he needs from Romney."