Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden met in Springfield, Ill., Saturday to unite as one ticket for the Democratic presidential and vice-presidential nomination.

By Saturday evening, the men and women once considered contenders for the job were weighing in on the pairing.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) said that her friend Biden will help Obama win the presidency and will be a "purposeful and dynamic" vice president.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who was considered a contender for running mate, said Biden is a great choice.

Another former VP favorite, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, said that Biden is "wise and strong" and has his enthusiastic support.

Republicans portrayed Biden as pro-tax and anti-gun. One questioned whether someone who's been in the Senate since 1972 will really bring change.

But GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel (D-Neb.) lauded Biden's "seasoned judgment and his vast experience."

Indiana Republican Sen. Richard Lugar, had praise for Biden's "strong, bi-partisan" work on foreign policy issues.

Obama Says Biden Shares His Vision

Obama called Biden a statesman with sound judgment, and called him "uniquely suited to be my partner" as he introduced the 65-year-old Biden on the steps of the Old Capitol Building in Springfield.

Obama returned to the spot where, 19 months ago, he announced his candidacy for president. The new running mates were joined by Obama's wife, Michelle; Biden's wife, Jill; and the Bidens' three adult children.

"With our nation at war, our economy in recession, we know the American people can not afford four more years of the same old policies and the same old politics. We know that a time for change has come," Obama said. For months, I've searched for a leader to stand alongside me and to join in making Washington work for the Am people. A leader who sees clearly the challenges facing America and the world ? A leader that share my vision that calls all citizens ? to a common purpose."

Obama said he and Biden would fight rising gas prices and repair the U.S.'s relationships with foreign countries.

Biden took the podium to say it has become more difficult to reach the American dream.

"We cannot, as a nation, stand four more years of this," Biden said.

Biden said the Bush administration has done nothing to stop home foreclosures, or to help the families who sit at their kitchen tables at night and try to figure out how to keep paying the mortgage.

"It's not a problem John McCain has. He'll have to decide which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at," Biden said, referring to a McCain comment earlier this week when the Arizona senator wasn't sure exactly how many homes he owns.

"We believe our tomorrows will be better than our yesterdays. That, literally, has been the American way and it will be that way again. But there's a missing piece, and that piece is leadership," Biden said.

Biden echoed Obama's call to change Washington.

"In all my years in the Senate, I've never seen Washington so broken," Biden said. "These times require ? a wise leader. A leader who can deliver the change we need."

Biden acknowledged his friendship with McCain and said he served his country with extraordinary courage. But Biden criticized McCain's support of much Bush administration policy.

"You can't change America when you support George Bush's policies 95 percent of the time," Biden said.

Political commentators said Biden would have to talk to the gathered crowd about his decades-long friendship with the presumptive nominee he now seeks to defeat. Biden criticized McCain for going negative and turning to the "swift-boat tactics" he once deplored.

McCain phoned his old pal on Saturday to congratulate him on being picked as Obama's running mate. Biden and McCain both have forged cross-aisle alliances over the years, and both share a deep interest in foreign affairs.

"You learn a lot about a man when you campaign with him," Biden said of Obama. "Ladies and gentleman, no one knows better than I do that presidential campaigns are crucibles in which you're challenged every single day. I've watched Barack Obama face it ? with steel in his spine."

"There's something about this guy," Biden said.

Biden Wished Well On Way To Illinois

A crowd of well-wishers waved to Biden and applauded as he left his home near Wilmington, Del., for a flight to Illinois just before noon Eastern Time.

Democrats, meanwhile, are coalescing around Obama's selection of Biden as his vice-presidential pick.

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called Biden "an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Obama-Biden ticket will bring the change the country needs, including a filibuster-proof Senate majority.

Obama Wanted Running Mate To Challenge His Thinking

The selection of the 65-year-old Biden is seen striking a balance on the ticket by picking a a seasoned congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues.

Obama announced the pick on his Web site with a photo of the two men and an appeal for donations. A text message went out shortly afterward that said, "Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee."

Biden's three decades in the Senate give him more than 10 years seniority over Republican candidate Sen. John McCain. Biden chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Biden has a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a long-winded orator who speaks his mind.

An internationalist and strong supporter of the United Nations, Biden voted in 2002 to authorize the Iraq invasion, which Obama opposed from the start. Since then, he's become a firm critic of the conflict.

One of the youngest politicians ever elected to the Senate at age 29, Biden entered the 1988 Democratic presidential primary but reluctantly quit three months later after he was caught lifting lines from a speech by a British Labour Party leader.

His second presidential campaign faltered early, as the contest between Obama and Clinton sucked the air out of the rest of the field.

Union Reacts Positively To Biden Choice

Members of the Service Employees International Union applauded Obama?s selection in a news release. SEIU called the two the most "pro-working family presidential ticket in a generation."

SEIU members are working in more than 20 states to elect the pair, and "committing record amounts of time, money and energy this election to educate voters about John McCain?s anti-worker agenda and elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden and a pro-worker majority in Congress."

McCain Campaign Trying To Turn Biden Choice Against Obama

McCain's campaign is wasting no time trying to turn Obama's choice against him.

It's already come out with an ad featuring Biden's previous praise for McCain and comments critical of Obama from an ABC News interview last year. Biden said then that he stood by an earlier statement that Obama wasn't yet ready to be president -- and that, "the presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training."

A McCain spokesman said Biden in the past accused Obama of having "poor foreign policy judgment" and said that "Obama is not ready to be president."

Some of Biden's Republican colleagues in the Senate are praising the Delaware Democrat, including Richard Lugar of Indiana and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.

Even McCain expressed his personal good will, calling Biden, a friend of his, to congratulate him.

McCain is congratulated Biden on his selection as Barack Obama's running mate. In a radio address Saturday, McCain said he will get back "real soon" to his debating opponent.

McCain also criticizes Obama. The Republican said there seems to be a pattern in Obama's approach to many hard issues such as abortion, the surge in Iraq, the issue of campaign reform or the question of offshore drilling. McCain said that although Obama's speeches can be impressive, "when its time for straight answers, clear conviction and decisive action" suddenly all these responsibilities are, as Obama puts it, above his "pay grade."

McCain said that Obama's positions on abortion alone "should be a grave concern to reasonable people of good will on both sides of this issue."

According to McCain, "there is a growing consensus in America" that we need to overcome narrow partisanship on the issue of abortion for both women in need and the unborn.