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It's now official, Sen. Joe Biden is Barack Obama's pick for vice president.
Today, there was an open house at Obama's Headquarters here in Utah. There were certainly plenty of people talking about Joe Biden.
Most of the reaction was positive, but there are still some supporters who aren't quite sure about Obama's choice. There was some slight hesitation from some Obama supporters. Jean Welch Hill said she didn't know if she liked Obama's choice. She said, "I haven't decided yet. I've got to think about it."
She added, "I don't think you can nominate a vice president who everyone is suddenly going to say, ‘Yeah, that's the greatest choice ever.'"
But from other Obama supporters, there's no hesitation at all. Obama supporter Tim Houpt said, "I love Joe Biden. He's exuberant. He's a fantastic speaker. He just has genuine integrity, leadership and just this level of experience that matches on the ticket perfectly."
Another Obama supporter, Ben Kingery, said, "To have them both on the ticket is just excellent. I can't wait."
Sen. Joe Biden has unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party's presidential nomination twice, and he's been known for having loose lips. "He's kind of a blabbermouth, but that's all right," said Obama supporter Jason Mathis. "He's got other strengths."
One of those strengths is a wealth of foreign policy experience. Hill said, "In terms of foreign policy and needing someone with some strengths there, that was a good choice."
The Utah Republican Party released this statement on Senator Barack Obama's Vice-President selection: "Senator Obama's decision points out that he is concerned about his own foreign policy experience.
"Senator Joe Biden has criticized Senator Obama's lack of experience, saying that ‘the Presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.' At the same time Biden said he would be honored to run with John McCain.
"Choosing Senator Biden as his running mate shows that Obama's own campaign knows that he is not ready to lead. At a time when our troops are moving toward victory on the war on terror, we need an experienced leader."
Obama opened a campaign office here in Utah today. The opening of the office is part of his 50-state strategy -- an office in every state in the nation, even the Republican ones. "A long-time running, there's been problems with the Democratic Party in Utah. Anything we can do to break down those barriers is amazing," Kingery said.
Mathis says opening a campaign office in Utah is amazing. He said, "You're in a very Republican state, and you've got a line of people stretched down the sidewalk. People are really excited, enthusiastic, really wanting change."
Hill said, "Even if we aren't the state that's going to go completely on his side, at least you get voters excited about it."
Utah Democrats and Republicans will of course be keeping a close eye on the Democratic National Convention that starts Monday. We'll have live reports from Denver, beginning tomorrow on Eyewitness News.
E-mail: corton@ksl.com
