By Steve Kraske, The Kansas City Star, Mo.

Now we know what to expect from Joe Biden.

Fire, passion (he yells at times), boiling-over frustration with the Bush administration, deep-seated foreign-policy experience and the occasional verbal flub.

In his first public appearance Saturday as Barack Obama's running mate, the senator from Delaware displayed the traits that have made him so well known in Washington.

Biden, 65, left no doubt that he would take the lead in a newly aggressive Democratic campaign, and he displayed it in the first issue he pinpointed Saturday: the economy.

In describing the American dream as slipping away from too many Americans, Biden talked about moms and dads across the country sitting at the kitchen table at night, wondering how to pay their bills.

The only worry that presumptive Republican nominee John McCain has, Biden quipped, is trying to decide which one of his seven kitchen tables he should sit at, a reference to McCain's unfamiliarity with how many houses he owns.

Biden referred to McCain as his "friend of 35 years" but insisted that a man whose voting record was in sync with President Bush's agenda 95 percent of the time is not a man who can bring change to America.

"We can't afford four more years of a foreign policy that's sacrificed our moral standing around the world," Biden said. "We don't have to have four more years of George W. Bush and John McCain."

The flub? Biden, who has been diagnosed with foot-in-mouth disease before, referred to Obama as "Barack America."

Obama matched him shortly after taking the stage by introducing Biden as the "next president -- the next vice president -- of the United States."

Obama came on stage to the booming sounds of U2's "City of Blinding Lights." And like Bono's last appearance at Kemper Arena, Obama jogged on an elevated runway to the speaker's podium as the crowd erupted. Obama soon noted that he was standing in the exact place where he kicked off his campaign 19 months earlier on a bitterly cold February day.

He quickly got down to business.

"For months I've searched for a leader to finish this journey alongside me and join me in making Washington work for the American people. I searched for a leader who understood the rising costs confronting working people and will always put their dreams first," Obama said. "Today I've come back to Springfield to tell you I've found that leader."

The announcement came almost 10 hours after the Obama campaign released its much-hyped text message to supporters nationwide, formally announcing the selection of Biden. Word that Biden was the choice didn't leak until around 10:30 p.m. Friday, finally ending what had become, at least in the eyes of the media, interminable suspense over the pick.

Reaction to Biden fell, predictably, along party lines. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, herself a finalist for the job, hailed Obama-Biden as an "incredible team," adding that Biden's foreign-policy experience, which includes his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is "an asset in these complicated times."

Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, an Obama confidant, called Biden a "terrific pick."

"He's a meat-and-potatoes guy. He never bothered to change his address to Washington, D.C.," she said, referring to Biden's penchant for traveling back to his home in Delaware on Amtrak virtually every night of the week.

"If you look at this pick in terms of other people in other cycles, it really appears to be far better. George Bush didn't have much foreign-policy experience, and he picked Dick Cheney. Now you've got someone (Biden) running who has very intimate knowledge of issues across the globe."

Vanquished primary foe Hillary Clinton said Obama had "continued in the best traditions for the vice presidency by selecting an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant."

But Republicans were intensely critical, saying the choice of Biden only underscored Obama's weaknesses in international affairs and the ways of Washington, and undermined Obama's relentless call for change. They quickly dug up Biden's own criticisms of Obama at a Democratic presidential debate last winter.

"Senator Biden doesn't believe that Senator Obama is ready to serve as president," said McCain campaign manager Rick Davis. "When asked about Senator Obama's lack of experience, he said: 'The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.' The fact is, there has been no harsher critic of Senator Obama's lack of readiness to serve than his new running mate, Senator Joe Biden."

To underscore the point, the campaign quickly released a TV spot featuring that quote and Biden's no-nonsense response to a question about whether he meant it: "I think that I stand by the statement," Biden said.

More neutral observers scored the selection as solid at a minimum, with some going so far as to call it a home run.

"He's the perfect vice president for Barack Obama," said Bob Beatty, a political scientist at Washburn University in Topeka.

Biden is the kind of guy who wants to get things done, Beatty said, and that means he's open to new ways of attacking problems.

Steve Smith, a Washington University political scientist, called Biden a logical pick who might not set hearts a-flutter across the country. But Biden could reassure voters uneasy about Obama's relative lack of experience.

"It makes sense," Smith said. "The one thing about Biden is, he's an established Washington figure known for his intelligence and expertise on a range of subjects."

That expertise ranges beyond foreign policy, experts said. As a former Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Biden led an epic fight in 1987 against Robert Bork for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. That battle was a defining moment for many longtime Democrats.

Biden, Smith said, is always well prepared, asks intelligent questions and is known for working with Republicans.

Biden also is known for verbosity. For the record, his speech on Saturday was about a minute longer than that of the man who tops the ticket.

Obama had no trouble Saturday linking Biden with his call for change. Biden, he said, for decades "has brought change to Washington, but Washington has not changed him."

"He is uniquely suited to be my partner as we work to put our country back on track," Obama said.

The two now set out for a series of stops in key swing states. The tour will bring Obama-Biden to Kansas City for what has been described as a midmorning rally. The precise time and location have not been announced.

INSIDE --National reaction to the selection of Biden. -- A6

Biden will be an attack dog. -- Analysis, A8

Though Kathleen Sebelius didn't get the veep nod, some nevertheless see a future for her in Washington. -- B1

Go to KansasCity.com for photos, video and more from Obama's announcement.

The Star's Dave Helling contributed to this report. To reach Steve Kraske, call 816-234-4312 or send e-mail to skraske@kcstar.com.

To see more of The Kansas City Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kansascity.com.

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