Well, it's official. Joe Biden is Barack Obama's vice presidential choice.

Barack Obama picked Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden as his running mate, choosing a long-time Washington insider who could balance his thin resume on foreign policy over younger politicians who could have amplified the Democratic presidential candidate's message of change.

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Sen. Biden, who has been in the Senate for more than 30 years, is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and recently returned from war-torn Georgia, which he visited at the behest of that country's president. Sen. Obama, by contrast, is a freshman senator who is regularly attacked by his Republican opponent, John McCain, for his lack of foreign policy experience.

Polls have consistently shown voters trust Sen. McCain more than Sen. Obama on foreign policy and national security issues.

Interestingly, Biden has been a critic of Obama. Quite a critic:

Sen. Biden is a two-time presidential candidate himself, and during his short-lived run in the current cycle, he was at times critical of Sen. Obama's foreign policy bona fides. That will be a staple of Republican attacks in coming days. After news of the Biden decision spread, the McCain campaign issued a statement saying: "There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden. Biden has denounced Barack Obama's poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing -- that Barack Obama is not ready to be President."

Commenting on a video (a McCain ad, no less!) documenting the Biden-Obama animosity earlier this morning, M. Simon opined,

The choice of Joe Biden for VP on the Obama ticket is a sign of desperation.

And what about the Democratic rejects?

(Maybe McCain could use a good man like Hillary.)

MORE: Here's Jennifer Rubin:

the selection of Biden as VP seems to cast doubt on the entire premise of the Obama campaign which is that experience doesn't matter. If we are back to including that criteria why not select the more experienced candidate for the top spot? It won't take very long for the McCain camp to point out that Obama's own underwhelming record compares unfavorably to his own VP. (We will also be treated to a good share of "His VP is smarter than he" clips, highlighting the areas of disagreement such as the initial Iraq war vote.) And Biden is not exactly a "safe" pick. If a secret ballot were taken among pundits and politicial office holders asking, "Which politician is most likely to make a jaw dropping, news cycle-stopping gaffe?" Biden would like be the unanimous winner. For a presidential candidate with a gaffe problem of his own, Biden might magnify this unwelcome attribute. Late night comics and pundits are already tabulating their top ten list of favorite gaffes, but it is no laughing matter for Obama who is struggling to get back on message and convince the voters he is ready for primetime.

And don't miss Pajamas Media's coverage of reactions with "It's Biden! The Fun Begins." Like this gem from Jonah Goldberg:

"I think it is an outright terrible decision on Obama's part to pick Biden. Yes, he helps balance Obama's inexperience on foreign policy, but he also reminds people of it. Yes, Biden could conceivably be effective as an attack dog. But Biden is such a gasbag he makes the Hindenburg look like a sack of rocks."

MORE: Glenn Reynolds has a roundup of reactions, including his own:

He's at least as fresh a face as Madeleine Albright.

Also, Glenn quotes Richard Miniter, who thinks Biden is like McCain:

"Biden is almost a 'neocon' in his foreign policy views. He voted for the Iraq War in 2002. . . . Does his elevation by Obama signal that that the Obama campaign is backing away from its timetable to withdraw from Iraq? Does Biden's position differ significantly from McCain's? Isn't he, in fact, closer to McCain's view on Iraq than Obama is?"