Democratic Senator Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. of Delaware

Profile: Democratic VP Candidate Joe Biden

Joe Biden offers years of Senate experience, but is he too much a part of the "establishment" for the Obama ticket?

By: Allie Diffendal

Posted: 9/10/08

On August 23, as news of Obama's "It's not you" talks with potential running mates aired, speculation on Sen. Obama's second-in-command narrowed. By 3 a.m., the Democratic Party had a VP candidate. "Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee … Spread the word!" declared a text message distributed by Obama's campaign, a message later confirmed by an email from Obama himself.

Now, with the question of Obama's VP candidate answered, the responsible American voter searches for the answers to an entirely new line of inquiry. Exactly who is Joe Biden? What is his political history? What will his name bring to the Democratic ticket? And will caricatures of him be nearly as satisfying as those of Cheney? In the interest of constituent knowledge, let's consult Biden's record to aid in answering at least a few of these questions.

First elected to the US Senate at age 29, Joe Biden is currently serving his sixth term for Delaware, becoming the longest-serving representative for that state. He maintained the position of chairman of the Judiciary Committee from 1987 to 1995 and now serves at the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Biden pursued the 1988 Democratic nomination, but dropped out of the race amid accusations of plagiarism. The words in question, which occurred within the closing remarks of a speech at the Iowa State Fair, were supposedly about his family's roots, but were actually taken from British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock. Though Biden had previously attributed the words to him, he did not at that time. A seemingly forgivable discrepancy, the controversy grew when earlier incidents of plagiarism surfaced--first, in a law school paper in which five pages were adopted word for word from a law review article, and second, in a speech quoting Robert F. Kennedy without citation.

Biden ran for the Democratic presidential nomination again this year but suspended his campaign after finishing fifth in the Iowa caucuses.

Speculation concerning Biden's connections to the MBNA credit card company, a company based in Wilmington and recently bought by Bank of America, has also created controversy for the candidate. According to the Center for Responsible Politics, the company remains Biden's biggest financial supporter, contributing $214,000 into his campaigns since 1989. The company hired his son Hunter as a management trainee right out of college and quickly promoted him to executive VP. In 2005, Biden supported a bankruptcy law championed by the company that made it more difficult for consumers to erase debts. Saying it allowed "banks and credit card companies to tilt the playing field in their favor, at the expense of hard-working Americans," Obama has skewered Republican nominee McCain in the past for backing the same bill.

Known as a loose cannon, Biden has certainly caused his advisors a few headaches with his direct and sometimes insulting comments. During his run for the 2008 Democratic nomination, Biden labeled Obama as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." Although Obama does not appear to question Biden's character due to such ill-considered comments, this political incorrectness is sure to cause trouble on the campaign trail. In the 2008 Democratic debates, when asked whether he could have the discipline to watch his words if elected, Biden responded with a simple "yes" and smiled as the audience laughed.

Controversies aside, where does Biden stand on the issues? In the days of his 2008 presidential bid, Biden stated that ending the war in Iraq and restoring America's credibility were at the top of his overall priorities if elected, followed by education and healthcare. Unlike Obama, Biden voted in favor of the Iraq invasion. As Biden told Politico last year, he regrets his 2003 vote and has been a persistent critic of the Bush administration's war conduct ever since. Using his position at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden has aggressively criticized Bush for his unilateralist approach to the world and Iraq in particular. Biden proposes a three-state solution in Iraq. In a 2006 New York Times op-ed, Biden advocated the creation of Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish regions with a limited central government, recalling his support for dividing Bosnia into Muslim, Croat, and Serbian federations years before. Since then, Biden has refined his original proposition by abandoning the 3-state solution and emphasizing Iraq's need for a decentralized federal system.

Biden supports the right of same sex couples to have legal recognition in the form of civil unions, but has voted against federal same-sex marriage laws in the past, believing each state should determine how to legally recognize same sex couples. Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, but says he supports extending the same federal employment benefits of married heterosexual couples to same-sex couples. He wants to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy of the military and allow gay service members to serve openly.

Biden wrote and passed the Violence Against Women Act, an act that has proven immeasurable in the prevention of domestic abuse and the treatment of its victims. On the issue of abortion, Biden leans pro-choice. Biden voted against Bush's nominations of John G. Roberts, Jr. and Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court, as his website states, because he feared "what unfortunately has proven true - they want to erase decades of progress for minorities and women."

Obama's selection in a running mate has been seen as both a smart, strategic choice, albeit one that is seemingly contrary to his message of change. Those who argue Obama made an intelligent choice point to the fact that Biden fulfills gaps in his resume- namely years of experience in foreign policy and issues of national security. With nearly four decades of such experience, Biden certainly adds a few years of Washington knowledge to the ticket. Due to his work as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden shows familiarity with international leaders and diplomats. In fact, earlier in the race, political analysts had mentioned Biden as a potential Secretary of State should either Obama or Clinton win the Democratic nomination. However, critics of Obama's choice state that such experience may challenge Obama's image as an agent of change.

When competing with Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2007, Biden painted Obama as a man "not yet ready" for the presidency. Now, as Obama's chosen VP, Biden will have to convince independents that he has reevaluated Obama's preparedness. Obama supporters will hopefully stick with the candidate, even if they have reservations about his VP pick. And if their support does not withdraw, let's hope Biden's loud mouth will. Fingers crossed.

Fast Facts
Name: Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.

Religion: Roman Catholic
Age: 65
Place of Birth: Scranton, PA
Home: Wilmington, Del. (He commutes home by train every night)

Political experience: U.S. Senator from Delaware, elected '72, '78, '84, '90, '96, '02; Chairman of Judiciary Committee (1987-1995), Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Professional experience: Attorney (Wilmington 1968-1972), Councilman (Delaware 1970-1972)

Education: B.A., University of Delaware, 1965; J.D., Syracuse University College of Law, 1968

Spouse: Dr. Jill Jacobs, a teacher; married since 1977

Children: 2 sons, Joseph R. III and Robert, with first wife Neila Hunter (who died in a car accident along with their infant daughter in 1972) and daughter, Ashley, with current wife Jill