Time runs some fascinating excerpts from the forthcoming book by David Plouffe, President Obama's campaign manager in the 2008 race. There's much focus this morning on Plouffe's recollection of how seriously Hillary Clinton was considered by then-Senator Obama as a potential running mate. But worth noting are the views of the man he ultimately chose, Joe Biden.

The then-Delaware Senator conceded in a meeting with Plouffe and David Axelrod last August that he initially "wasn't sure" about Obama, but had become convinced. He talked of how he would never have run for president himself if he "knew the steamroller you guys would put together" in Iowa. He also offered pros and cons for himself as the VP, at first saying the job was "the last thing I should do," but also arguing that he could "be a good soldier and could provide real value."

The least surprising thing about this meeting: Plouffe writes, "Ax and I couldn't get a word in edgewise." But ultimately, Obama's top strategists concluded that "this dog could not be taught new tricks." Obama made the choice on August 17, just after his return from a week-long vacation in Hawaii.

The full excerpt on the Biden meeting is after the jump.