The nation's first elected black governor, Doug Wilder of Virginia, has lambasted Vice President Joe Biden on national television for his comment Tuesday about banks keeping people "in chains."

Wilder, a Democrat and a grandson of slaves, echoed indignant Republican claims that Biden's remarks before a largely black crowd in Danville, Va., brought racism into the presidential race.

In railing against Republican efforts to undo Obama administration regulations reining in Wall Street after the 2008 stock market meltdown, Biden said the GOP wants to "unchain Wall Street."

Then, Biden added, "they're going to put y'all back in chains."

Wilder said he felt Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would have made a better Obama running mate and called on Biden to "cool it, back up" and admit that he was wrong.