Georgia GOP criticizes Obama VP mate

Georgia Republicans criticized Barack Obama's choice for vice president, saying he has effectively written off the South by picking U.S. Sen. Joe Biden as his runningmate. During a conference Saturday morning, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and U.S. Rep. Tom Price told reporters that Obama chose a vice presidential candidate with a record nearly as liberal as his own, which will not appeal to the conservative South. Obama has said he wants to compete in Georgia. He won easily in Georgia in the Feb. 5 president primary with overwhelming support of the state's large black population. The Obama campaign was running ads in Georgia on Thursday connecting his Republican rival John McCain with Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed, but Republicans say the Obama campaign pulled the ads, a signal he has given up on Georgia.

(Associated Press)