Obama camp unleashes Biden to go after McCain

EAU CLAIRE, Wisconsin, (AFP) - Barack Obama’s camp Sunday presented his vice-presidential nominee Joseph Biden as the perfect “attack dog” to maul Republican rival John McCain on US voters’ top concern: the economy.

Chief lieutenants and supporters of the Illinois senator denied that as a 36-year veteran of the Senate, Biden compromised his mantra of change, and also swatted aside the new running mate’s prior attacks on Obama’s inexperience.

Aides remained reluctant to discuss the selection process that climaxed with Biden’s unveiling alongside Obama in Illinois Saturday, save to say the VP pick received the coveted call while he was in a dentist’s waiting room Thursday.

Addressing voters at a woodland barbecue here, Obama said he had been proud to present “the person who I believe will be the next and one of the greatest vice-presidents in the history of the United States, Joe Biden.”

Denying that Democratic nominating rival Hillary Clinton had been unfairly snubbed, Obama’s chief strategist David Axelrod said that “mostly, I think what attracted Senator Obama was Biden’s wisdom.”