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In this Jan. 5, 1973, photo, four-year-old Beau Biden, foreground, watches his dad, Joe Biden, center, being sworn in as the U.S. senator from Delaware, by Senate Secretary Frank Valeo, left, in ceremonies in a Wilmington hospital. Beau was injured in an accident that killed his mother and sister in December. Mrs. Biden's father, Robert Hunter, holds the bible. Barack Obama selected Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware late Friday night Aug. 22, 2008 to be his vice presidential running mate, according to a Democratic official, balancing his ticket with an older congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues. In Washington, Biden, 65, is known as a collegial figure even when he's competitive _ one who can spin flowery praise one moment and biting fulmination the next. (AP Photo)