Obama chooses Sen. Joe Biden as Running Mate

It’s been the talk around office water coolers across the country. After weeks of speculation, Sen. Barack Obama announced overnight that Sen. Joe Biden is his pick for vice president.

Obama supporters were the first to receive a text message early this morning with the announcement. It comes just in time as the Democratic National Convention kicks off Monday in Denver. Biden will make his official debut as the vice president pick today with Obama at the former state Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, the same place he announced he was running for president .

So what do we know about the Senator from Delaware?

The 65-year old, longest serving Delaware Senator has tons of experience, having entered the Senate more than three decades ago. He served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, an area Obama has consistently been attacked on.

Biden also ran for president but dropped out of the election earlier this year. He was criticized for comments he made about Obama’s run for president when he said, “I mean you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that’s a storybook, man.” He later apologized for his comments, saying his remarks were taken out of context.

According to the Associated Press, Obama disclosed at a town hall meeting on Tuesday, August 19, in Raleigh, North Carolina, that, no matter who he chooses as his VP, the buck stops with him.

“My vice president … will be a member of the executive branch. He won’t be one of these fourth branches of government where he thinks he’s above the law,” he said.

Sen. John McCain is reportedly looking to make his VP choice within the next few days as well. It’s expected that he’ll do so before the Republicans gear up for their convention on September 1 in St. Paul, Minnesota. His top choices include former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is now a registered Independent.