Speculation is increasing today that US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s choice for running mate will be foreign policy expert Senator Joe Biden.
If Mr Biden is selected, it would underline Democratic fears that Mr Obama's inexperience in world affairs is costing him votes.
Mr Obama, a relative newcomer on the national political scene, has endured a hammering by Republican rival John McCain, a veteran Arizona senator, combat pilot and former Vietnam prisoner of war on national
security experience and his calls for a 16-month withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.
But Mr Obama may have found a new, albeit unintended, boost from an unlikely corner as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Iraqi counterpart, meeting in Baghdad, announced today that the two countries agree that timetables should be set for a withdrawal.
With the Democratic National Convention opening on Monday, Mr Obama has remained quiet about his vice presidential pick. But he plans to appear with his running mate on Saturday after his choice is announced via text message to supporters.
He also is believed to be considering governors Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Tim Kaine of Virginia, and senator Evan Bayh of Indiana.
The choice of Mr Biden, who has served on the Senate's Foreign Relations committee for 33 years, could potentially blunt some of Mr McCain's criticism about Mr Obama's lack of experience. Mr Biden is also adept at doing what Mr Obama has appeared reluctant to do - go on the attack against Mr McCain.
Mr Biden is staying uncharacteristically quiet in the face of growing attention. Dressed in a suit and sunglasses, he left home today with only a casual wave to the news media.
If Mr Obama chooses 65-year-old Mr Biden it could open the candidate to criticism. In his hard-fought primary battle for the nomination, he campaigned on a platform of change - offering a relief for voters weary of old-school Washington politics.
Mr Biden, elected in 1972 to represent Delaware, is hardly a political outsider.
It may be a gamble, but Mr Obama is feeling the pressure. Polls show that Mr McCain is catching up with his rival nationally.
A CBS News-New York Times poll yesterday showed Mr Obama was ahead of Mr McCain by 45 per cent to 42 per cent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, meaning the two were in a statistical dead heat. Just two weeks ago, Mr Obama led the race by six per cent.