Biden gets Dissed by Denver Papers

The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News, the two major papers in the city hosting the DNC, don't agree on much. But they agree in today's editorials -- here and here -- that Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was an uninspiring, if not risky pick for VP. And such tepid reviews, from two influential voices in a region that could be key to this presidential contest, can't be good news for the Barack Obama camp.

It's perhaps predictable that the right-leaning Rocky would be underwhelmed by the choice. Its headline simply reads, "Biden. Really?" But here's a little more:

"Joe Biden.

Thud.

If you're going to make an uninspiring choice for your vice presidential running mate - and Barack Obama is hardly the first presidential candidate to have done so - at the very least the choice should be safe. It should not put your message at risk.

But Joe Biden is not entirely safe, as anyone who has followed his career knows all too well. The Delaware senator is a walking verbal gaffe waiting for the right opening."

Even more troubling for Democrats, though, has to be the similarly snide reaction of the left-leaning Denver Post, which seemed even more dismayed and disappointed by the pick:

"Barack Obama must think he brings enough excitement to his presidential ticket all by himself.

His selection of Joe Biden as his running mate was hardly bold or inspiring for a campaign that, at its heart, is about change. And adding a longtime Washington insider to the ticket isn't likely to invigorate a campaign that's dropped a few points in the polls, nor will it help Obama in the Western states he so badly needs to win."

These are just a few of the reviews that will pour forth in the days ahead. Some, no doubt, will call the choice a stroke of genius. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, for instance, called Biden "a great choice for Colorado" in one interview -- although The Hickster (or is it The Huckster?) isn't qualified to talk about Colorado beyond the city limits. But when the otherwise-incongruous newspapers in the city hosting the DNC can't even muster much enthusiasm, it seems safe to say that Biden is falling flat.