- Daily Photo: Obama Jokes Around at G-20
- Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq
- Daily Photo: U.S. Marines Look Out for Taliban in Afghanistan
- Hillary Clinton the Tomboy and Her "Ah-Ha" Moment
- Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
- Daily Photo: Potential Flashpoint in Iraq
- Clinton Says New Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan Depends on Diplomacy
- Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
- Additional 4,000 Troops to Be Ordered to Afghanistan
- Daily Photo: Navy Submarine Trains in the Arctic
- Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep
- Anti-Terror Stimulus? US Offers Rewards for Top Terrorists
- Daily Photo: Pakistani Women in Refugee Camp
- Condoleezza Rice Appears on "The Tonight Show"
- Diplomat and Aid Group Sound the Alarm on Darfur Camp Situation
- auto industry rescue
- Ballotwatch
- Biden, Joe
- Bush, George W.
- Clinton, Bill
- Clinton, Hillary
- Dodd, Chris
- Edwards, John
- Giuliani, Rudy
- Gravel, Mike
- Huckabee, Mike
- Hunter, Duncan
- Inauguration
- Iraq
- Kucinich, Dennis
- McCain, John
- Obama, Barack
- Palin, Sarah
- Paul, Ron
- Romney, Mitt
- Tancredo, Tom
- Thompson, Fred
- Veepstakes
- Vote 2008: Democrats
- Vote 2008: Republicans
- Washington
- White House
« Previous | Main | Next »
Biden on Obama's VP Pick: 'I'm Not The Guy'
Email
ShareAugust 19, 2008 5:21 PM
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf and Jennifer Parker report: As Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was leaving his house in Wilmington this afternoon, he slowed down and said to the gathered news reporters outside his home: "Hey guys, I'm not the guy. See ya."
Members of the news media camped outside his Wilmington home today as speculation swirled that Biden is on Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's short list of vice presidential candidates.
Lowering expectations is a game played by many vice-presidential wannabes. A Biden Senate staffer told ABC News today that the senator had not spoken to anyone at the Obama campaign about the vice presidential slot Tuesday.
Biden, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, raised his profile recently by traveling on a fact-finding mission to war-torn Georgia, where he called for increased US aid to the country and peacekeeping forces.
The trip underscored his vast foreign policy experience -- something that is lacking from Obama's resume. Biden is also thought to be someone who could hold his own during a vice presidential debate.
However the senator's loquacious speaking style sometimes gets him in trouble. As a longtime Washington senator, Biden could also work against Obama's outside-the-beltway style campaign.
Biden is spending time in his home state while Congress is in summer recess. As Biden left news media camped outside his home, reporters could see he had golf clubs in his truck.
UPDATE:
Biden returned from his outing to dial back his "its not me" statement from earlier.
He rolled down his passenger side window and said to reporters don't you have anything better to do?
The "It's not me" from earlier is now "I have not spoken with anyone" repeated several times to several different questions.
Have you spoken to the Obama campaign?
"I have not spoken to anyone."
So you're not ruling out you could be picked?
"I have not spoken to anyone."
"You guys know as well as I do,' he said as he drove down his driveway with admonitions that your staker outers should be careful on the treacherous road outside his house.
August 19, 2008 in Biden, Joe, Kucinich, Dennis, Romney, Mitt, Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (507)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
THANK GOD!
Posted by: ick! | Aug 19, 2008 5:29:21 PM
That's a smart guy.
Posted by: fact check | Aug 19, 2008 5:31:49 PM
That really sucks... I was praying it was Biden. That means its gotta be Kaine... Bayh's a lame duck.
Posted by: Blake | Aug 19, 2008 5:36:36 PM
Its Kaine...Kaine is the only one among likely pick who donot have a speaking slot at convention
Posted by: Its Kaine | Aug 19, 2008 5:38:55 PM
The backlash if he didn't pick Biden at this point would lose them the election. So if it isn't Biden they were really dumb... he is the only candidate that 2 out of 3 voters were supportive of.
Picking someone else would seem like Obama does not have the judgement or the right ego to be President ...
that's why I think Biden has to be throwing the press a headfake.
I think the fall out from letting it go this long at this point would be really damaging.
Posted by: dl | Aug 19, 2008 5:38:59 PM
Very Concise comment Ick. How about sharing your great wisdom as to who should be picked for VP?
Posted by: slubobo | Aug 19, 2008 5:41:05 PM
He has been talking about announcing his VP for months, and yet hasn't come out with it. If not Biden, then maybe Clinton who is 50:1. None of the others choices have any foreign policy experience. Pelosi wants it, but her book was not on the top seller list, so she is out. Can't wait and signed up to hear on the text messaging!!
Posted by: shana | Aug 19, 2008 5:45:00 PM
NEWS FLASH - Lots of rumors around Cleveland today as a result of a local radio talk show host saying that he has insider info that it will be....... HILLARY. HE IS A PRETTY CREDIBLE GUY!! I really think that Obama is beginning to realize that he might not win without her. As a Repub, I am not sure how that would play out? She would bring in lots of her voters, but on the other hand it could also rally many of the independents for McCain. Hard to say.
Posted by: Temagami | Aug 19, 2008 5:47:24 PM
All forgotten now and new hype about VP selection.
http://townhall.com/columnists/PhyllisSchlafly/2008/08/19/obama_running_on_the_cult_of_personality
“Obama's books reveal him as having the personality of a man embittered by being abandoned by his African father and his unconventional white mother, and who came to believe that race is the issue that trumps all else and must be used for the redistribution of power and wealth. Obama sought out relationships with the socialist-radical Saul Alinsky, the unapologetic bomb-thrower Bill Ayers and his Weather Underground associate Bernardine Dohrn, the Communist poet Frank Marshall Davis, leftwing Muslim-supporting politicians in Kenya, the corrupt political fixer Tony Rezko, and the black-liberation-theology Rev. Jeremiah Wright who preaches hate America and accuses the United States of creating the AIDS virus to kill blacks”.
Posted by: Mike | Aug 19, 2008 5:48:20 PM
Of course, it's Biden. Joe is known for his sense of dry, ironic humor. By 'the guy', Biden was probabl referring to the Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama. But, the recent actions and comments of Biden, Obama, and Biden's Senate office tell a different story. A joking "non-denial denial" to now stalking media horde...
Posted by: Tommy Ates | Aug 19, 2008 5:49:16 PM
It's beginning to look more and more like Obama will pick Hillary. He can't win without Hillary. Sorry, Obamabots, Hillary controls Obama now!
Posted by: david from texas | Aug 19, 2008 5:50:37 PM
Biden blew it. Just couldn't keep his mouth shut. Just couldn't play along with the game. Has to let you know he's smarter than everyone else. But its obvious now. Obama really does want to win at all costs. And he's picked HRC.
Posted by: In the Know | Aug 19, 2008 5:50:41 PM
I really hope it is Biden. His Foreign Policy experience is too good for Sen.Obama to ignore. But if not him I would suspect Gov.Bill Richardson or Evan Bayh. Richardson is good on energy and foreign policy. Plus he could win Hispanic votes. Bayh seems boring. Which Obama might need to keep the focus on him.
Posted by: Jacob | Aug 19, 2008 5:53:08 PM
Theoretically, Biden shouldn't know whether he is "the guy" or not.
Posted by: jock59801 | Aug 19, 2008 5:53:10 PM
Obama should declare himself as the VP. Let Hillary carry him to the office 8 years from now. 8 more years for Americans to know more about him. 8 more years for him to show that he's heart and soul an American.
Posted by: Obama-Yah-Wright | Aug 19, 2008 5:53:12 PM
He Can't Win Without Her!
Posted by: Louis Jacinto | Aug 19, 2008 5:53:23 PM
As an obama supporter,
I like Biden, but I am glad he will not be VP.
Half the people who want him have no idea of his ties to the credit industry or his voting record. (as it relates to middle class)
Thank God.
Obama 08
Posted by: Sally | Aug 19, 2008 5:55:07 PM
Why would Obama agree to let HRC have a roll call vote that would derail his convention? He wouldn't. He knows it will never happen. Why not? Because she's the VP, and she'll call it off, and her supporters won't care. It's looking pretty obvious now, isn't it? Maybe he's a bit more savvy, and has a bit more killer instinct, than we thought! My prediction: Bill speaks on Tuesday night, and HRC goes on Wednesday.
Posted by: DC Don | Aug 19, 2008 5:56:16 PM
Wound't read anything into this necesarily.Don't forget Jake Tapper was reporting earlier that Obama hadn't spoken to the VP nominee yet. However i still think the eventual name may be somone who hasn't been talked about too much at the moment. Maybe a Wes Clark type.
Posted by: markymark | Aug 19, 2008 5:56:23 PM
this whole thing is bad at this point
people starting to think it's Hillary..
are you kidding if he picked Hillary over Biden at this point that would be REALLY BAD
Kaine would be bad...
Bayh would be bad...
The only guy who he could have picked over Biden at this point was Gore...
and now because they are playing games they are going to get these PUMA whack jobs up in arms again...
oy what are they thinking...
just make the freakin announcement...because if it's Biden...they just shot themselves in the foot for not telling him
If it's not Biden...they just themselves in the head.
Posted by: dl | Aug 19, 2008 5:56:50 PM
Post a comment
