Biden Questions McCain's Judgment In Convention Speech

Denver, CO (AHN) - Just minutes after becoming the official vice presidential candidate of the Democratic Party by a voice vote, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) brought to bear his working-class roots and foreign policy expertise to accuse Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for supporting an administration that destroyed the American dream.

"Millions of Americans, they're asking questions as ordinary as they are profound... Fifty, sixty, seventy dollars just to fill up the gas tank?... With winter coming, how are we going to heat the home?" Biden, a two-time Democratic presidential hopeful, told a packed crowd at the Pepsi Center.

"That's the America that George Bush has left us.... These are common stories among middle-class people who worked hard... on the promise that their tomorrows would be better than their yesterdays. That promise is the promise of America... And now it's in jeopardy," he added.

He said he shared a friendship with McCain "that goes beyond politics," but "profoundly disagree" with the Republican's plans, such as $4 billion in tax breaks to oil companies and $10 billion a month in reconstruction costs for Iraq.

McCain's 19 Senate votes against the minimum wage makes the choice in this election clear, the six-term senator declared, before outlining Obama's proposals to invest in clean energy and cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans.

Biden, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and former chair of the Senate Judiciary panel, called the Bush administration's foreign policy "abysmal" and "catastrophic." He questioned McCain's judgment and told Democrats that the Arizona senator had claimed the war in Afghanistan had succeeded and that negotiations with Iran was not an option.

In both cases, and more, "John McCain was wrong, and Barack Obama was right," he said, adding, "These times require more than a good soldier. They require a wise leader."

Known for being loquacious and forthright, Biden's assault against McCain answered pundits questions before the convention about how much of an attack dog he is going to be against the Republicans.

His speech keynoted the third night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Obama, who briefly made a surprise appearance after Biden's address, will accept the nomination on Thursday at a 75,000-seat stadium at Invesco Field at Mile High.