http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8278461/ Biden says he'll run for president in 2008 Senior Democrat on Foreign Relations Committee ran in 1988 Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. at the Capitol, May 26, 2005. Updated: 1:15 p.m. ET June 19, 2005WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden said Sunday he intends to run for president in 2008, two decades after he dropped out of the race amid charges he plagiarized a British politician's speech. advertisement "My intention now is to seek the nomination," Biden, of Delaware, said on CBS television's "Face the Nation." He said he would explore his support and decide by the end of this year -- a sign the race may get off to an early and competitive start. "If in fact I think I have a clear shot at winning the nomination, by this November or December, then I'm going to seek the nomination," he said. Biden is the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a frequent critic of President Bush's Iraq policy. He previously indicated his interest in the 2008 race with a December 2004 comment he would proceed as if he were running, but he said then he would take two years to decide. Biden would face potential challengers including New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former U.S. first lady who has led early polling on the Democratic side. Other possible Democratic contenders include Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the nominee defeated by Bush in 2004, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Kerry's running mate. Biden campaigned for the 1988 Democratic nomination but withdrew early in the race after charges he plagiarized parts of a speech by British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock and exaggerated his academic record. The Republican field may also be crowded in 2008, with Bush barred from running and Vice President Dick Cheney saying he does not intend to run, thus leaving no incumbent with a head start. Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
this is an interesting shot across the bow of the the dred pirate hillary's ship. biden's got more gravitas now than he did in '88, and although he is certainly a "frequent critic" of the bush admin, he doesn't strike me as coming from the ideologue wing of the party- worthy of consideration, and good to see other prominent dems getting into the race. btw, read an interesting article on every dems fav rep in the economist, john mccain. there was an interesting 2008 ticket floated: mccain/bush...jeb, not gee dub, as veep. might nail down mccain's right flank, and makes some sense of mccain's campaigning for W in 2004.
I got nothing against Biden and think he would make a very capable president but I think his time has already passed. Biden has many of the same weaknesses that Kerry had and without the next election being a referendum on Bush I'm not sure how much Biden can count on being the experienced old hand leading against the reckless Bush Admin.. I think the Dems would be better served by going with someone who hasn't been in the Senate for ever. A Westerner or Midwesterner Governor would be ideal.
He was very impressive on the political talk shows yesterday morning (Sunday). He has some very good ideas about how to shift priorities and get things accomplished in Iraq. As far as being elected President, he doesn't stand a chance.
Agreed, Biden is nothing more than Kerry II or Republican Lite. Have you or anyone from Dem party (oh no Hillary please) not taken notice of Eliot Spitzer? The guy has been on a relentless one-man crusade against corporate frauds and scandals for years. I think he will be a fantastic candidate for Dem and a formidable foe for GOP. 2008 may be a bit too early for him as he needs to first amass some serious political "cash" to run a presidential campaign. If he can win NY governor's race in 2006, then look for him rising onto national stage in 2012 ...
I'm not the most up on internal Dem politics as I can only be considered a Dem in terms of being anti-Bush. From what I know of Spitzer he's an intriguing choice but like you said needs a bigger base. He's also got the problem of being from the Northeast. I don't completely believe regionalism is a critical factor but given two equal Dem candidates I would go with one not from the Northeast.
Biden is a wonderful man. I've had the chance to meet him several times at conferences I've attended. I'm a Libertarian, but I am sure I will vote for him in '08.
He just came to the office and gave a nice speech today (should be on C-SPAN later). I don't know much about his domestic policy views (except that he's always stupidly supports AMTRAK bailout, regardless of the fact that they provide so little benefit to the American people). But I like his foreign policy views with respect to Iraq. I'm no Democrat, but for all of the folks that gripe about Democrats not having any ideas, this guy has a realistic, reasonable plan about what to do in Iraq, and is very candid about it. I can get behind that. (transcript is probably at www.brookings.edu)
i recall a story about the early days of metroliner service, the express train from nyc-to-dc. at first it only stopped in newark, philly, baltimore, and dc. Biden was apparently standing on the Wilmington, DE platform waiting for his train as the metroliner wizzed by w/o stopping. "What train is that?" he asked an aide. "Metroliner" the aide replied, "it doesn't stop here." "It does now!" said Biden, and sure enough, it does...
The guy commutes most days from Delaware to DC via Amtrak. Good for you, train boy, just don't make me foot the bill. Train subsidies aside, I like the guy.
The Democratic party is at an all time low right now. Spend 4 years whining and then accusing GW of being the worst most polarizing president ever, and then........... lose the election by 2.5 million votes. I hope that Hillary runs because that is like putting Jose Lima on the pitching mound.
