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Biden To Step Up Role In Campaign

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The Associated Press

Published: September 14, 2008

MANCHESTER, N.H. - The vice presidential nominee you aren't hearing so much about, Democrat Joe Biden, is planning a more prominent role to help validate Barack Obama among white working-class voters and criticize the Republican rival he's long called a friend.

Republican running mate Sarah Palin is soaking up the campaign spotlight with magazine covers and joint rallies with John McCain that draw thousands, while Biden has had a more traditional role of second fiddle to the man at the top. But the campaign envisions a new role for its No. 2 in helping make the closing argument against McCain.

Biden's focus will be on McCain, campaign officials say. Biden is in a unique position to help convince voters that McCain is the wrong choice, they say, because of a relationship that goes back even beyond their 22 years of working together in the Senate.

Biden's argument will be that he knows McCain well enough to say that even though he's right on character, he's wrong on the issues, advisers said.

He's scheduled to give two major speeches framing the race before the presidential debates get under way - one on domestic policy Monday in Flat Rock, Mich., and another on national security Sept. 22 in Baltimore.

Biden's other responsibilities will include top campaign fundraiser and helping validate Obama with communities that have been skeptical of his candidacy to varying degrees - Jewish voters, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's backers, union members and other middle-class voters.

Part of Biden's appeal as a running mate is his comfort in debating rivals and tearing them down - something that isn't always Obama's strong suit, although he is taking a more aggressive tone in the campaign's final weeks.

"He's a closer," Biden spokesman David Wade said. "He's the vice presidential nominee you want slugging it out in the late innings when proven campaign skills, intestinal fortitude, expertise and experience matter most."

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