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By CJP | July 24, 2008
 On or near the top of the heap of men and women rumored to be Barack Obama's choice for his V.P. nominee is Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE). Biden has 36 years of Senate experience, a reputation on both sides of the aisle as as an honest broker, is a well-known foreign policy whiz and enjoys the distinction, in city of gas bags, of being the gassiest bag of them all.
That gift for the gab aside, he's also a shoe-in for some role in a potential Obama administration (as veep, Secretary of State, etc) so let's meet Joe Biden:
- He was born in Scranton, PA (who wasn't?), went to U. of Delaware, and Syracuse Law School.
- He was elected to the Senate when he was 29, but considered not taking the job after a car accident killed his wife and infant daughter just after Election Day. Because his young sons were critically injured in the accident, Biden took the oath of office at his sons' bedsides in Delaware, rather than in Washington, and still commutes by to D.C. on Amtrak almost every day.
- He logged eight years as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and wrote the Violence Against Women's Act. He's now chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and in 2002, voted for the war in Iraq.
- Biden ran for president in 1988, but dropped out after he was accused by Dukakis aides of plagiarizing a speech from a British politician.
- He ran for president again this cycle, but dropped out during the Iowa caucuses when the numbers didn't add up for him. Highlights (or low-lights) of the race include praising Barack Obama as "clean and articulate" during an interview. Obama later said he had no doubt of Biden's intentions and praised his commitment to civil rights.
- For an Obama ticket, Biden brings a steady hand for foreign policy and a pragmatic track record of getting things done. He does not bring many electoral votes, and we've spoken with Dems who worry a Biden pairing runs the risk of making Obama look Biden's inferior on international relations.
No wonder Biden is never short on words, there's a lot to say about the man. For more info than you ever thought you wanted on him, check out his Senate web site HERE, and the :New York Times' archive on him HERE.
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